The Demon Inside
by Gridline
Summary: What would change if Crowley was Harry's dad? James is not in the story, Lily is alive, and Harry is half demon. I'm not good at summaries, read the first chapter and it'll make more sense.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

In Godric's Hallow, all was quiet. It was fall, and the Potter's house was dark. Suddenly, a loud SMACK was heard.

"Listen to me!" yelled James Potter, glaring at the crying Lily Potter on the floor. "We have to join forces with Riddle! If we don't, he will kill me and you! Is that what you want?"

Lily looked up, tears still running down her face. Then she slowly looked back down again, unwilling to look at the monster of a man that happened to be her husband.

"LOOK AT ME!" James screamed, and hit her again.

_~A few minutes earlier, on the other side of the Hallow~_

Bathilda Bagshot shuffled over to a fork in the road, and started a pit in the dirt. She was about to publish a new book, and her friend had said to bury a box with her picture, some dirt that she gave Bathilda, and a black cat. Bathilda was a bit worried that this was black magic, but her friend had assured her that it wasn't. And so, here she was.

Bathilda continued scraping at the gravel road until it was deep enough to place the box in. Doing so, she buried it and stood up. There, a man stood.

"Hello, love," said the man. He was stocky and short, with black hair and green eyes. "What can I do for you this fine evening?"

"I-I am publishing a b-book, and my friend said to bury a box here," she stammered. The man smiled and took a step closer.

"Well, I believe I can help you with that. See, I'm a crossroads demon. The name's Crowley," he said, holding out his hand. Bathilda shook it timidly.

"Now, here's how it works. I will make sure that your book does well, but I'll be back in, say…" he checked a non-existent watch. "Ten years."

"Oh, yes please," Bathilda breathed out, and turned to go.

"Woah, woah, woah. Come back here," Crowley said. When she was standing in front of him, he said, "I'll be needing a kiss, to seal the deal."

Bathilda was dumbfounded for a moment then nodded and came closer.

_~Later that night, when the deal was done~_

Crowley stood, looking up at a dark house, fuming. He had heard a man beating his wife. Crowley may have been a demon, but he hated men who beat their women. Making a decision, he walked up to the door and in the house.

A few minutes later, he walked out holding Lily bridal style. When they were walking down the stairs to the porch, she stirred. He said, "Sssshh, love. You don't want to wake up right now," and maybe it was his demon powers working, or maybe it was the tender voice that Lily had been craving for _so long, _but she went right back to sleep.

Crowley smiled, and walked on. Calling a few demons, he said with steel in his voice, "Grab that bastard and take him to where things get done.

The demons nodded, and Crowley left, with Lily Potter none the wiser.

_~In an old warehouse, unknown location~_

Crowley walked in with two demons behind him. They were carrying James Potter, and he was already messed up pretty face was puffed up, his lip was bleeding, and his arm was bent at an odd angle. Still, he fought the demons holding him, albeit weakly.

"Put him here," Crowley told the demons, patting an old table.

When James was strapped down, Crowley stepped a bit closer and punched him in the stomach. Grunting, James choked out, "Are you with Riddle? I'll help you, I know lots of attack spells-" and he was cut off by another punch to the gut.

"Why don't you shut up, you blithering bastard," growled Crowley. "I'm not with Riddle, whoever the hell that is. I'm here because I don't tolerate men who beat their wives."

James's eyes darkened in anger. "What's it to you? It wasn't affecting you in any way, and she should've showed me the proper respect-" This time he was cut off from a knife to his throat. He swallowed nervously, his adams apple pricking the blade.

"It affects me because I'm an upstanding citizen, and all that nonsense," Crowley purred, and reached down to the table with quite a few shining metal instruments the the other demons had brought in. "Now, how's about we have some fun, eh?"

James looks down at the knife, summons his courage, and bares his throat. "Do your worst."

"Gladly."

_~James's screams echo through the warehouse. Meanwhile, Lily is waking up in Crowley's manor~_

Lily woke up in a bed. Her head and stomach hurt, from James. She heard scuffling from what she assumed was outside a door, and shut her eyes tight. The bed was unusually comfortable, and she didn't want James to find out she was awake.

She heard something clattering beside her bed, and though she was curious as to what it was, she kept her eyes closed. She then heard footsteps to the door, and heard a latch clicking into place.

Wait, latch? Her and James's bedroom didn't have a latch.

She sat up and looked around. This definitely wasn't their house. There were drapes across the windows, and she was in a huge four-poster bed. Other than an old dresser at the foot of the bed and a nightstand beside the bed, the room was empty. Still, it was… homey, in a way. James had refused her design ideas, and insisted on leaving their house the way it was.

On the nightstand there was an old silver platter filled with food. Lily liked to cook, but she really wasn't that good. This food looked amazing, with golden brown toast and perfect eggs, with a pitcher of OJ and a glass. She dug in.

Halfway through her meal, the door opened. Immediately, her hand went to her pocket, and she found her wand was missing. She felt a shiver of apprehension go down her spine, and she looked at the door to see who was going to come through…

Or rather _what_. In walked a house elf, bringing in a few dresses. The elf had walked in backwards, and therefore had not seen that Lily was awake. Lily was getting increasingly confused. Where _was _she?

The elf turned around, saw Lily, squeaked and dropped it's dresses. Lily leaped up instinctively to help, and started gathering up the dresses.

"Hello!" she said. "What is your name?"

"My name is Alfie, Miss," he replied. "Master Crowley said I was to take care of yous. Alfie has been trying, Miss, but he burned the eggs a bit. Alfie is sorry, Miss, and he will make you more if you want him to."

Lily raised her eyebrows and looked at the eggs. To her they looked perfect, but maybe Alfie saw something she didn't. She turned back to the elf, who was now folding the dresses. "No, it's fine, Alfie. The eggs were delicious."

"Thank you, Miss, now if you want to you can wear these dresses. Master Crowley said he would be back at nine o'clock, and it is eight thirty, Miss."

"Oh, yes, Alfie, thank you. Now, tell me about this Crowley. And where am I?"

Alfie set down the dresses in a drawer of the dresser and sighed. "Alfie is sorry, Miss, but Master Crowley forbade Alfie to tell yous anything about him. But Alfie may tell yous where Miss is, and yous is in Mississippi. Even Alfie does not know where in Mississippi, though, so Alfie is sorry, Miss."

"Oh, no, Alfie. It's alright. Thank you," Lily said, smiling. Alfie looked pleased and left. When the door closed, however, Lily let the smile drop. America? She had never been to America. She looked around the room, and found that the door was latched and the window was rusted shut. Sighing, she sat on the bed and thought about her predicament. She did not know what Crowley wanted with her, and she did not know where James was. Although the fact that he had forbade his house elf to say anything about him was definitely a bad sign.

_Well,_ she thought. _Might as well please Crowley, especially since he's the only one who knows what's going on._ She got up to put on one of the dresses. _Maybe he will tell me where James is. Though if he does know where, I hope it's a while until he can see me. I don't want him to find me anytime soon._

_~Thirty minutes later, in Crowley's manor~_

Crowley came in the front door with a sigh. James hadn't lasted long, so Crowley hadn't been able to use all the instruments on the table before James passed out. _You never know,_ he thought happily. _Maybe he'll survive a bit longer._

This brought a smile to his face, and that smile only got bigger as he remembered he had a guest. Lily Potter.

Alfie appeared with a sharp _CRACK_ in front of him, and took his coat and bag. "Good morning, Master Crowley. Your guest is upstairs in the bedroom, like you wanted."

Crowley kept walking. "Thank you, Alfie. Put those on my bed, please."

"Of course, Master." _CRACK._

Walking up the stairs, Crowley got increasingly nervous. What if she didn't like him? Or asked questions he couldn't answer, like where her abusive husband was? He supposed he could answer that one and see how she took it, then put her out with family friends, or something of that sort.

He came to the guest room, took a deep breath, and walked in.

Lily jumped up, having gotten dressed and waited on the bed, getting increasingly bored. Crowley put his hands up like he was being arrested, and said, "Woah, hold on, love. I'm here to help, surprisingly."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" said Lily.

Crowley almost laughed at her choice of words, but held himself back. She was like a cornered dog at the moment, and so he would treat her like one. Stay calm, and no sudden movements. "I'm sure you have lots of questions, so ask away. I'll answer them if I can."

Lily lowered herself onto the bed slowly, still taking in the man in front of her. He wasn't bad looking, she noticed. But that was beside the point. "Where am I? Where's my wand? What do you want? Are you sided with You-Know-Who? And where is James?"

Crowley considered for a moment. "I believe I can answer all of those questions except for one. You are in my house, in Mississippi. I took your wand so you wouldn't blast your way out or hurt Alfie. I just wanted to help you whenI heard James hurting you. I actually _don't_ Know-Who, and…" Crowley looked away. "James is dead."

Lily's knees gave out, and she fell onto the bed. "He's dead?"

"Yes."

Lily thought about her answers to the rest of the questions. She felt no grief for James, really, but she was in shock from finally being free. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not longer than you usually would sleep, just 8 hours or so."

Lily looked at him sharply. "I'm in America! How did you get me into this country so quickly?"

Crowley smiled. "Lily, dear, I'm a demon. I can shadow travel."

"A demon?"

"Yes. Not all demons can shadow travel, you know, only the ones, er, higher up," he replied.

Lily digested this little tidbit of information. "Can I have my wand back? Or am I a prisoner?"

"No! No, no, no," Crowley said hastily. "I just wanted to help. You can leave at anytime. I just wanted to explain where you were so you wouldn't blow me up.

"Alfie!" Crowley shouted suddenly, making Lily jump. The elf appeared with a _crack,_ and Crowley said, "Alfie, please bring Miss Lily's wand to us."

"Yes, Master Crowley," the elf replied obediently, and Disapparated again, reappearing a few moments later with her wand.

Crowley took it, and when the elf had left, he looked at her warily. "You aren't going to blast me with this, right?"

Lily considered. "It's not likely."

Crowley sighed, and handed it to her. "I suppose it's the best I'm going to get."

Lily took her wand and examined it, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She turned to look at Crowley thoughtfully. "Thank you, Crowley."

Crowley waved it off. "Ah, it was nothing," he said happily. "If you want to, you can leave through the front door. If not, lunch is whatever Alfie decides to try."

Crowley stood up and left. Lily looked after the short man with affection. He may have been a demon, but she had no intention of leaving. She was going to take care of this man, whatever it took.

**Hey guys, so... I don't know what kind of reception this story will get, but I'm just hoping for some feedback. Review, and give me ideas for this story!**

**~Gridline**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_~In Crowley's mansion, a few minutes after the end of Chapter One~_

Lily walked down the stairs to find Alfie making something with ground beef and dough.

"Alfie, what are you making?" she asked.

"Hello, Miss, Alfie is making beef empanadas. He hopes that is acceptable." Alfie said happily. "Alfie enjoys cooking, Miss. His favorite is salad, but Master Crowley does not enjoy salad very much. So Alfie is not able to make it often."

Lily smiled. "Well, Alfie, I would like a salad with carrots, tomatoes, and anything else you think would be good."

Alfie clapped his hands happily. "Oh, thank you, Miss! Alfie will make the best salad in the world!"

Lily laughed and walked out of the kitchen, patting his head on the way. "I'm sure you will, Alfie."

As she explored the mansion, she saw that Crowley enjoyed light in his home. _Funny, you would think, with him being a demon, he would like darkness better._

Walking into a room, she found what she assumed to be his study. There was a desk, a chair, a sofa, and papers and things of the sort. Curious, she wandered closer. Seeing graphs, numbers, and what looked to be complaints. Looking closer, she saw that they were labeled as 'deals' and each had a 'collection date.'

_This is weird, and not very profitable,_ she thought, bewildered. _The collection dates are ten years after the original deal was made._ She wondered what the people that made the deals gave in return.

"Well, I see you've made yourself comfortable," said an amused voice behind her. Whirling around, she found Crowley grinning. Smiling sheepishly, she turned back to the papers. "What are these deals? And these lists? Also, I couldn't help but notice that the collection dates are ten years after the deal. What do they pay you that is worth waiting that long?"

"Well, the deals are when people tell us what they want, and the collection dates ten years later, are us collecting their souls. That's what the numbers are; the number of souls in hell," he explained, looking sorrowfully at the paper. "Poor bastards." He looked at her. "Heaven only accepts the very best. So, we are having a problem with overflow at the moment. We're working on a solution, though."

Lily soaked this in, then asked, "Do you ever feel bad for them? Like, when you're taking their souls?"

"No," Crowley replied with no hesitation. "They could fix their problems themselves, but instead turn to a demon to do it for them. One thing I don't tolerate, however, is my demons going back on their deals, or in other words," he looked back at the papers in disgust. "Collecting early."

Lily nodded. It was true, some people were too lazy to help themselves "So… why are you doing this?"

Crowley looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Like what is your job in the ranks, or whatever?"

Crowley laughed. "Lily, I'm the king. Of hell."

Lily's eyes widened. "Wait, does that mean you're Lucifer?"

"No. I never have and never want to be an angel. Bastards," he muttered.

Lily looked at him weirdly. Crowley smiled and said, "Trust me, love. You never want to meet an angel. They don't know anything about this place and most of them don't want to."

"Ok…" _Time to change the subject,_ she thought. "How do you know about magic? And if you live in America, what were you doing in the UK?"

"I travel to a random demon's station every once in a while, to see how they are doing. And I was born a Squib in Scotland, so I grew up around magic, but didn't have any of my own."

"Just out of curiosity," said Lily hesitantly, "How is the station in Godric's Hallow doing?"

"Well, I got one the night I was there, so not bad," replied Crowley brightly.

Lily nodded. She couldn't get mad at Crowley, he was only doing what he needed to. It wasn't his fault these people were lazy.

"So, I saw you looking over my papers. Any suggestions?," said Crowley.

Lily looked back at the graphs. "Well, if you shortened down the collection date on future deals, to five years or so, then you would have a much larger income," Lily felt no guilt in thinking this way, the people doomed themselves when they came to a demon.

Crowley considered for a moment, then a grin slowly spread across his face. "Lily, are you going to stay?"

Lily thought for a moment. James was dead, the Order would be fine without her, and Dumbledore, while having good intentions, had never really made it into Lily's good graces.

"Yes."

Crowley's grin grew even wider. "Then I see a very profitable future for the two of us."

_~Later, Crowley is meeting with other demons~_

Lily was eating the salad made for her by Alfie, which really was really good, when Crowley walked up to her.

"Lily, I need you to go to your room. Other demons are here."

Lily paused. "Wait. Why? Are they here because of me?"

Crowley snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. They're here because of an annual meeting that I totally forgot about."

"What is it for? Like, to report in, or all that?"

"Yes," Crowley glanced over his shoulder. "Now you need to go, Lily, or your head and mine are on the chopping block."

Lily raised an eyebrow, but did as she was asked. When she was gone, Crowley sighed. _That one's going to be a handful,_ he thought.

Heading into the conference room, he threw the doors open and strode in dramatically to meet the demons gathered there.

"Well. Look at you, gathered around like it's circle time in preschool."

One demon stood up and said, "Crowley. Is it true you have a human in this house?"

Crowley grinned. "Yes. I figured having a human that wanted to do anything I wanted her to would be entertaining."

"Stop acting, Crowley!" shouted another demon. "You're going soft, admit it!"

"Show me respect, you insolent worm," Crowley growled. "You take care of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. And I'm the king of hell!"

"Even I can see that this is not the way you should be running things," the demon sneered.

Crowley sighed, and waved a hand. A second later, the demon's now-dead body fell with a _thud_ to the floor. "Anyone else agree with him?" When nobody answered back, he said, "That's what I thought. Now, let's get down to business."

**Hey guys. So I was amazed by the views this got, because the last story that I wrote got 80 views at its peak. I know this chapter was short, but I was having trouble thinking about what to write in. We'll be seeing Harry next chapter! Now, to address the amazing people who reviewed and let me know what they thought.**

**Spencer366: Good! I have read these kinds of stories too, and I figured I would give it a shot. And I don't want to give too much away for what's in store, but I think it's safe to say that Lily won't die in this FanFic.**

**Rose's Fox: I'm glad!**

**KateKat1992: Good. So, like I said with Spencer, I don't want to give too much away about the story. But I want to try something: If 5 people review and ask me questions about the story, I will answer one. Okay?**

**Again, thank you **_**so much**_ **for giving me this feedback. I love hearing what you think! Keep reading and reviewing, Gridline **_**OUT.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_~In Crowley's mansion, when the meeting was over~_

Crowley walked up the stairs to Lily's room. He had found that the demons had been doing very well in their deals, and he had introduced Lily's idea about waiting five years instead of ten. It had been an instant success, though Crowley had needed to explain a few times about how existing deals would still be ten years. The demons just couldn't seem to understand that they wouldn't be killing everyone.

Crowley walked into Lily's room to find her on her knees, praying. Crowley sighed loudly, and said, "You do know that God is a no-show, right? I mean, I'm the king of hell, and you would think, if he were there, he would meet me."

Lily ignored him and just kept on praying. Crowley sighed and turned to leave. Then he heard Lily crying.

Alarmed, Crowley turned back to Lily. He found her on her knees, sobbing. He went to her side hastily, then stopped. He had no idea how to comfort her; this really wasn't his area of expertise. After a few moments of hesitation, he decided to put an arm around her shoulders.

Lily looked at him, then back down, tears running down her face. "I'm sorry, Crowley."

"No, no, no, no… what's wrong?"

Lily took a few moments to pull herself together. She turned to him, and laughed tearfully. "I'm sorry- It's stupid. It… It's just, I'm not exactly _happy _about the fact that I decided to stay here."

Crowley looked away then. The words that were coming from felt like they were coming from her fist, not her mouth. "You don't have to stay here, Lily. I tried to make it clear that-"

"No! No, Crowley, that's not what I'm trying to say. I meant to say that I didn't have enough friends for me to have a reason to go back. James is dead, and I don't resent you for that. You were trying to help. Then, most of my friends are dead, and the one person who could end it all is a manipulative bastard."

Crowley nodded. "Well, all I can say is to hang on to the people who deserve it. If the people you trust, _abuse_ that trust, then they don't deserve your friendship."

Lily had turned to him, and seemed to be mesmerized by his words. Now, she seemed to be in a trance. "And those that you want to be something more?" she said, leaning forward slightly.

Crowley swallowed slightly. This wasn't his area of expertise either. "Well," he started, then had to swallow again to get rid of the lump in his throat. His heart was beating at about two hundred miles an hour. "I would say to not let them go- to stay with them, and never leave."

Lily, who had slowly been getting closer to Crowley, nodded slightly. He couldn't help but notice that she was looking more at his lips than his actual face. "Would that person mind? Like, if I never left?"

Crowley, leaning forward as well, so that they were almost touching, said, "He would have to absolutely demented to mind at all."

Suddenly, Lily leaned forward the rest of the way, pressing her mouth to his. Crowley responded almost instinctively, wrapping his arms around her and giving as much as he was getting. Lily smiled in the kiss and shifted so that she was sitting on his lap, and Crowley broke the kiss just long enough to ask, "Lily, how far do we want this to go?"

Lily paused for a moment. Looking down at the man, she saw what she had always wanted, but never got with James. "All the way," she whispered breathlessly.

Crowley grinned and picked her up, laying her on the bed. "My pleasure," he replied.

_~In Crowley's mansion, after Alfie happened to walk in on Crowley and Lily, causing Lily to shriek and Alfie to apologize profusely, all the way until Crowley pushed him out and closed the door~_

"Crowley," said Lily, happily lying curled up at his side. "We didn't use protection." She looked up at him. "Do you… you know… want to see what happens?"

Crowley looked at her, and smiled. "It's up to you, love. I will listen to what you say."

Lily smiled, and burrowed into his side again. "And I you. I would like to keep him."

"Him?" said Crowley, amused. "How do you know?"

Lily laughed. "I just do."

_~still in Crowley's mansion, a few months later later~_

Lily Macleod Potter ran shrieking into the room her and Crowley now shared. They had gotten married discreetly, with only a select few demons Crowley trusted. Lily had not invited anyone, as that would have raised questions about James. "Crowley! Crowley, honey, it's positive! The test came in positive!"

Crowley came out of the bathroom with a stunned look on his face. "That means… that means… I'm going to be a …?"

"A father!" Lily finished for him, then laughed happily. "And me a mother!"

Crowley came out of his daze and laughed, picking her up and swinging her around. "Lily!" he shouted in jubilation.

The happy couple laughed together.

That night they celebrated with a huge Thanksgiving-type dinner and pie. With a turkey, gravy, stuffing and blueberry pie, Crowley and Lily were soon sitting back in their chairs, belts tight.

"Thank you, Alfie," said Crowley to the happy elf.

"Yes, thank you. You really outdid yourself tonight."

"Oh, it was nothing, Mistress and Master. Nothing," replied the elf. Alfie was almost as happy as Crowley and Lily at the prospect of having a 'little Master' soon and couldn't help walking with a little bounce in his step.

Lily smiled at the elf as he was clearing the dishes off the table. Then she turned to Crowley, deciding to ask him something she had been avoiding for the past few weeks. "Crowley…" she began hesitantly.

Crowley heard the tremor in her voice and decided that this was no time for sarcasm. "Yes, love?"

"Well… It's no secret that you're a demon and I'm a human. How is that going to affect our child?"

Crowley sat back. He had done some research on this and had a few interesting things to share. "Lily, our child will be what is called a cambion. It is what a child between a demon of any kind and a human is called. However, I do not think there was ever a child between a human and a King of Hell. So, along with all my abilities and weaknesses, he or she will be able to make humans feel how he wants, heal himself, blast out energy, create undead golems, be invulnerable, become a being with claws, a tail and a snout, and finally, he will not age as fast as you," Crowley said matter of factly.

Lily was astonished. Both at how powerful her kid would be, and also how calm her husband seemed. "And… will he command Hell?" she asked.

"If I die, yes."

Lily nodded. "That's what I thought."

Crowley saw how agitated Lily was acting, and tried to help. "Lily, dear, what is it?" he asked gently.

Lily looked up at him. "They won't fit in. In the Muggle world, Hell, or in the Magical world. They won't have any friends, Crowley."

Crowley shook his head. "No, dear. You're wrong. Our child will be like you- a sweet, happy kid," he said, and he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

And I can't wait to meet him."

_~Crowley's mansion, July 31st, with two demons and Alfie delivering the baby, Crowley sat outside, fidgeting~_

Crowley paced up and down in the living room. Nervously, he checked his watch, then continued pacing.

What if the child didn't like him? Or died in the birth, or maybe Lily?

He paced.

What if the kid lost control of his powers, and shadow traveled away? Or, he might just combust?

Up and down, up and down.

What if Lily saw the child, and decided she had had enough with Crowley and the demons? What if-

"Sir!" cried a voice from down the hall. "It's done!"

Crowley practically flew into the room. There he saw Lily, drenched in sweat but looking happy it was done. And the two demons, washing their hands in the sink.

And Alfie, holding a bundle of blankets, smiling happily. "Here, Master," said Alfie, holding out the lump of rags. "You should see him."

_Him?_ Thought Crowley deliriously, taking the bundle. Inside, he saw a beautiful little boy with jet black hair and his mother's eyes. As he watched however, those eyes flickered to black then back to green. _There it is,_ he thought happily. _That's what he got from me._

"Honey?" Crowley turned in the direction of the voice, and saw it was Lily. She was smiling and holding out her arms. "He's mine, too, Crowley. Let me see them."

Crowley grinned sheepishly, and handed him over. Lily gave a little gasp at seeing him, and then smiled and tucked some of his hair behind his ear. "Harry," She said happily.

"Harry MacLeod Potter."

**Thank you **_**so much**_ **for the reviews, followers, and favorites. You have no idea what that means to me. So, before we get to the reviews, let me say a few things first.**

**Harry is a cambion. He is not a demon or a human, he is a cambion. He therefore has unique powers and will not be widely accepted by those who know what he is. Also, this is **_**NOT**_ **going to be another super-Harry story. I hate those, because they give the story almost no plot. I will be posting a list of Harry's powers and weaknesses. They will not all apply right away.**

**And sorry about skipping so much in this chapter, but this is a story about Harry MacLeod Potter. Not Lily and Crowley.**

**So!**

**SilverDragonflyMoon: Thanks! I actually came up with the idea in a shower. You know what they say, in the shower, you do 5% bathing, 5% thinking, 10% singing, and 80% winning imaginary arguments.**

**guest: I think they did that on purpose. They wouldn't want him to be too good looking, he was supposed to be a good **_**and**_ **bad guy.**

**triss: Thank you, and yes, I will.**

**And finally, for my promise to KateKat:**

**TRISS: No, I don't ship them. Sorry, but there are only a select few pairings in this story and you have seen one of them already.**

**Thank you for the love, guys! Review! Gridline **_**out.**_


	4. Harry's Powers

**So, I got all this from my brain and a website. If you want to see for yourself, it's **** wiki/Cambion_Physiology**

**I understand it's not for Supernatural or Harry Potter, but it gave detailed info. I didn't want to come up with it all by myself.**

**So, here you go.**

Harry MacLeod Potter

Balanced Cambion:

Half Mortal, Half Demon

**Cambion Powers:**

Empathy: The power to feel, replicate, enhance, or repress a person's feelings.

Energy Manipulation: The power to:

Absorb: The power to absorb energy around him to heal himself, others, or use it for Blasting or Creating.

Blast: The power to send out a blast of energy, in a bolt or ray.

Create: The power to create a golem, or to make a weapon or suit of armor. These are not always permanent.

Supernatural Condition: Obviously has supernatural strength, speed, and stamina. Mind is much sharper than other's, so he has a photographic memory and is especially resistant to torture. Combined with his invulnerability, and he is almost completely invincible.

Invulnerability: Skin is like metal; in other words, he cannot be physically hurt. Or at least, not easily. Holy water and iron will still burn him.(Killing Curse _will _kill him)

Alternate Form: Harry, when extremely angered or in extreme pain, or sometimes by choice, can grow claws and a tail, along with a wolf-like snout. The claws are retractable, the tail is prehensile, and he can bite with his snout and razor-sharp teeth.

Decelerated Aging: If Harry did not have Lily as a parent, Harry would not die by natural causes. Of course, since he does have Lily as a mother, he is restricted to living twice as long as a normal wizard(wizards can live up to 250 years old).

**Demon (King of Hell's son) Powers:**

Demon's _complete _obedience: Demons will listen to his orders as if he were Crowley, unless Crowley ordered otherwise. (This does not stop them from betraying him or Crowley)

Shadow Travel: Can travel anywhere that is not completely lit up. Not many places are, only known place is Heaven and extremely cautious hunters or people's homes.

Telekinesis: Can move things from across the room. No known limit, can reach farther the more he practices.

Tortured Souls _complete _obedience: Souls _must_ listen to him. They cannot betray him, they have no free will.

Possession: He can possess a mortal, leaving his physical body in a comatose state.

Hellish Strength: Harry can draw strength from Hell.

**Demon Weaknesses:**

Devil's Trap: Traps Harry as if he were a full-blooded demon. He can only leave if the Trap is broken.

Anti-Possession Tattoo: If a person that Harry tries to possess has this tattoo, Harry cannot possess them and goes through horrible agony for a few seconds.

Holy Water: Burns him as if he was a full-blooded demon. Water steams on contact.

Hex Bags: If made correctly, a hex bag can hide the wearer from demons and Harry.

Iron: Much like holy water, iron can burn Harry.

Hallowed Ground: Hallowed Ground is a place like a church, or a piece of land that has been blessed. While Harry can walk on it, it puts him in mild discomfort, much like an itch you just can't scratch.

Exorcism: If someone tried to exorcise Harry, Harry would be put through extreme pain and be sent back to Hell. Of course, since Harry draws strength from Hell, he would be back to the same spot soon enough and, probably, very angry.

**Hey, so guys, I won't be replying to reviews until the next chapter. But I wanted some info. I'm going to put a poll on my profile for what house Harry will be in. Go and check it out please! Review! Gridline **_**out.**_

**Edit: And Harry will be going to Hogwarts.**

**Another Edit: I messed up my poll. Sorry! I'm new to this... please go vote! Harry will be sorted in two chapters. Gridline out yet _again._**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_~In Crowley's Manor, midnight~_

All was quiet in the MacLeod Manor. Crowley and Lily were asleep in the master bedroom, as was little 15 month-old Harry in the nursery. In the still of the house, a faint creak was heard.

In the sitting area, a small light shined through the keyhole. The door opened soundlessly, and a wraith stepped in. Mentally cursing the creaking floorboard on the front porch, it stepped in. It silently moved up the stairs, and anyone who saw it would have sworn it was gliding.

It stepped in to the nursery, and in the master bedroom, Crowley sat up and looked out the door.

"Lily," he whispered. She opened her eyes, and squinted at him blearily.

"What is it?" she asked.

Something just walked in the nursery."

Lily sighed. "It's probably just Alfie again. Go back to sleep."

Crowley was about to lay down, but then got out of bed. _I can't chance it,_ he thought, and quietly crept out of his room to the nursery.

In the nursery, little Harry woke and saw the tall thing standing over him. He giggled, thinking it was his mother, and held out his arms.

Now, poor Harry had no control over his powers, and his empathy was going crazy. The wraith, who had been angry enough, had it's anger magnified quite a bit. All of a sudden, it didn't feel like it's hand was getting it's wand fast enough, and got extremely angry at his wand for being so hard to get out of it's pocket. It was only because the wraith was an Occlumency and Legilimency Master that it didn't snap it's wand.

Looking back at Harry, the wraith felt the anger again, and felt a sliver of fear at how powerful the baby was at his young age. Now that fear was magnified, and the wraith stumbled away from the crib.

Downstairs, Crowley heard the thump, and sped up his ascent.

The wraith overcame its fear, barely, and came towards the crib again. Trying to keep it's mind blank, the wraith raised it's wand.

Crowley ran to the doorway in time to see a flash of green light, an ethereal scream, and Harry crying. In a state of shock, Crowley stood there in horror as the figure illuminated by the light shriveled and caught on fire. Crowley, not wanting to lose his house, ran down to the kitchen and grabbed the fire extinguisher, cursing the wards against shadow traveling all the way.

He came back to the nursery to find the crib engulfed in flames. With a shout, he raised the extinguisher and pulled the lever. The white concoction came out the tube, and soon the room was dark again.

Running over to see his son, he found Harry looking around in surprise, wondering where his light show had gone. Other than that, Harry looked fine. Crowley sighed in relief and thanked Merlin for the cambion powers Harry possessed.

Looking around the room, he knew that Lily would have a few demons working on pulling out the floorboards and replacing the drywall with new, not-blackened material.

He lifted Harry up to eye level. "You, you little whelp, are a handful," he said affectionately. He put Harry to his shoulder and started walking down to the nursery. He would tell Lily tomorrow, and he was not looking forward to it. In the meantime, Harry would be spending the night in his parents' room.

_~In Crowley's Manor, the next morning~_

Lily woke up with light streaming in the window. She sat up happily, and gathered her knees to her chest. The past year or so had been the happiest of her life. Crowley was an amazing husband, and the demons respected her for her ideas on the crossroads organization.

Then of course, there was Harry.

He had been her pride and joy, and his powers grew with each passing day. His empathy was overwhelming, and was the first power to show up. And just the other day, she had seen him accidentally blast his father with a small ball of energy, and Harry had started laughing hysterically at the look on Crowley's face. Harry now shot little pinpoints of energy at everyone. Luckily, the energy only felt like static electricity.

Harry was growing on the demon's, too. Jeremy, the only other demon that Crowley trusted and was actually friends with, always played with Harry when he came over. Berto, the new cook that Alfie despised, always smiled when serving their dinner(As compensation, Alfie was allowed to cook every Wednesday and Friday).

Lily smiled, and moved to get out of bed, and almost stepped on the child in question. He was sitting under her, looking over one of her shoes with interest. She laughed, and picked him up. His attention stayed on the shoe for a moment, then laughed and wiggled in her arms.

Crowley woke up to the sound of his favorite people laughing and smiled. Then he remembered the night before, and the smile dropped.

All of a sudden, there was a loud _crack_ and Alfie was standing in front of Crowley. "Master Crowley! The front door is open, and the walls and floor of the nursery are burnt!"

He heard Lily gasp and throw the covers off. Sitting up, he grabbed her shoulders and held her to him. "Lily, it's ok."

"Ok?! You heard Alfie! The nursery is damaged, and the front door is open!"

"Yes, I heard Alfie. Remember last night?"

Lily's eyes widened. "The wards told you someone was in the nursery…"

"Yes," Crowley replied. "I don't know what happened in there, but I came to the room and saw a flash of green light."

Lily gasped. "Voldemort…"

Crowley looked at her oddly. "Lily, I think the man that came in to our house tried to kill Harry."

Lily looked at him. "When I was married to James, we were in an organization called the Order of the Phoenix. The purpose of that organization was to fight a terrorist called Voldemort. He was a very powerful dark lord, and we were losing the battle for magical Britain. You came and got me in the middle of that war."

Crowley was confused. "Why did you not tell me?"

Lily grabbed his hand. "You have to understand, I was scared… and ashamed. I didn't see any way for the battle to come to America, so I never told you."

She looked at Harry regretfully. "But I guess it caught up to me…" she looked at him. "I don't know why he would go after Harry, though! It seems like too much work just to find me! I mean… me and James were just like flies to him; annoying, but nothing bad."

Crowley shrugged. "Well, he won't be a problem anymore. He burned in the flames, or something… or maybe the curse rebounded off Harry because Harry is a cambion."

Lily stared at him, shocked. "Voldemort died… because of Harry." She sat on the bed again. She laughed. "Harry, a fifteen-month-old, killed the Dark Lord Voldemort!"

Crowley laughed. "Yes well, I'm hungry. Let's eat!" and with that, he left the room, holding Harry. Lily goggled after him, then remembered that he didn't know just how bad and powerful Voldemort had been. She shook her head, then followed him out.

_~In Hogwarts, the Headmaster's office, that same morning~_

Dumbledore sat in his chair behind the desk. He had quite a bit to worry about, like the Chosen One. Neville Longbottom, the only possible candidate of the prophecy, had yet to be attacked by Voldemort. Wondering if maybe he had foiled Voldemort with his wards. With a glimmer of pride in his eyes, he turned to the phoenix sitting on its perch. "I protected him, Fawkes." said Dumbledore happily. "I protected him."

The phoenix looked at its master. Fawkes did not feel frustrated with his old friend, Dumbledore knew no better. Fawkes was one of the only two beings in magical Britain that knew that Neville Longbottom was not the Chosen One. He turned his head to look west, at the real Boy Who Lived.

_~In the Forbidden Forest, outside the castle~_

_In a hollow of a tree, another phoenix, black and white in coloring, rose from its sleep to look west, toward its future master. The phoenix raised its head in a mournful call, sorry that it could not be with its master to comfort them. Still, when the phoenix nestled back in it's tree, it consoled itself with the thought that it would be with his master soon._

_The phoenix then curled back in it's home, and continued it's wait._

_~Back in Crowley's mansion, a few years later~_

Eight year-old Harry came barreling down the stairs from his room, almost running into his father on the landing.

"Sorry, Dad," said Harry. Crowley opened his mouth to reply, but Harry was down the stairs and in the kitchen before he even knew what to say. Crowley smiled, shook his head, and continued on his way down to breakfast.

"Morning, Mum," said Harry as he set the table for the three of them. Lily laughed and pulled him into a hug. Harry squirmed impatiently; you would think that having cambion powers would let him out of his mother's grip, sadly, his supernatural strength had not developed. Unfortunately for Lily and Crowley, though, his speed had.

"Good morning, honey," she said affectionately, and turned to make the eggs. "Ehm, dear?" she said as Crowley sat at the table. "Thomas came early this morning. He told me to tell you that another demon has gone ahead of their deal. She was too bored, she said."

Crowley sighed. "Demons going rogue all over the place. How am I supposed to deal with them? Maybe I could just send Sal and Murray… no," he said to himself. "Those two lugs wouldn't know what to do with her. Where did he say this demon was?"

"The Philippines, apparently."

"Ooh! Dad, can I come?" said Harry hopefully.

"No, Harry, You have school," said Lily sternly.

"Fine… can I invite Jacob and Chen over after school?"

"Yes, but only until eight o'clock. They are not spending the night. All right?"

"All right, Mum. Oh! There's the bus- bye!" said Harry.

"Good-bye, dear. Say hello to your friends for me."

"I will, Mom," said Harry as he ran out the door to the bus stop across the road. The bus stopped, and he got on. Saying hello to the bus driver, he scanned the bus for his friends. Well, any of the girls would let him sit next to them happily, but Harry would rather not. He saw Jacobs and Chen at the back of the bus with the rest of their friends, and went to them.

"Hey, guys!" said Harry happily.

"Hi, Harry!" said Jacobs. He was a tall, skinny kid, with spiked up blonde hair.

"Hello," replied Chen. He was dark skinned, and quite a bit shorter than Harry and Jacob. He was fun to be around, but was very quiet.

"So, you guys can come over, but it's not a sleepover. Can you bring the new Mario?" Harry asked Jacob.

Jacob nodded happily. "I only did the tutorial, because I knew you guys would want me to wait for you."

"Thank you," said Chen.

"Yeah, thanks!" said Harry. Looking around, he saw the bus was coming to a stop in front of the school. His Mum and Dad had agreed that until he was eleven, he would go to Muggle schools. So, he was here at his elementary school. He would be in the intermediate school next year, but Chen would be moving away, and Jacob would be going to a different school. So, he was not looking forward to it.

Getting out, he walked to his first class in Ms. Gretsky's room with Jacob. Chen had History first- lucky. Harry and Jacob had Math first with the most grumpy teacher in the world, or so they thought. Ms. Gretsky didn't really like Harry and Jacob, as they were the well known pranksters of their school.

"All right, class," said Ms. Gretsky, rapping a ruler on her desk, trying to get the class's attention. When they finally got quiet, Ms. Gretsky continued. "Today we will be working on fractions."

Harry's voice was among those that groaned, as the class got ready for another grueling class in Math.

_~In Harry's school, a few hours later~_

Harry's favorite class by far was P.E., and the teacher for this subject, or rather coach, was Coach Bruener. Harry also happened to be Mr. Bruener's favorite student, in that Harry was the fastest and strongest in the school.

"All right, class!" said Coach Bruener. Coach Bruener was one of those teachers that you just had to like, so he had nowhere near the same trouble Ms. Gretsky did with getting his class quiet.

"Today, we'll begin with a short run. Then, you can go into the workout room, or you can play basketball."

The class whooped and yelled, and started running around the track Coach Bruener had set up around the school.

"So, Harry…" started one of the girls in the class, who then seemed to lose her nerve and retreated, red-faced. Harry rolled his eyes and continued on.

By the time the whole class had made it around the track, everyone was out of breath and sweaty except for Harry. He stood tall and proud around all the people lying on the grass, smiling.

Coach Bruener laughed and patted Harry on the back. "Good job, Harry." Harry practically glowed at the comment.

When playing basketball, the game was pretty much decided by which team had Harry. The boys simply couldn't keep up as Harry swished a ball through the hoop again and again. When the game was over, and school was let out, Harry loaded onto the bus with everyone else and laid back in his seat, content.

_I could get used to this,_ he thought happily, as Jacob and Chen sat beside him, chatting about Jacob's game.

**Thank you guys so much for this! 3,000 views and climbing- that's awesome! Now, to say a few things.**

**When I was writing about the scene in the nursery, I was laughing the whole time because of Luna's remark to Harry. "It's like when you stumble over a chair in the dark; it's not the chair's fault, but you kick it anyway."**

**As for Harry not having a scar, he has invulnerability. Also, as for the curse rebounding off him and onto Voldemort when no one died for him, you need to be feeling complete hatred toward the object of your curse. With Harry magnifying Voldemort's fear as well as his anger, Voldemort couldn't focus well enough to pull it off, and that coupled with Harry's invulnerability, caused the curse to bounce off him onto Voldemort.**

**Now, for the reviews.**

**Sakura Lisel: I feel like it would be Lily's decision that if someone found them, it would be best for them to think Harry is James's son and Crowley is a brother or cousin or something.**

**Guest: Yes, I know what pairing I want, but I may ask for help deciding. And that is a cool idea! I never thought of that… I may actually use that, with my own twist on it.**

**Mich1990: Like I said, it's for secrecy, and to make it easier to avoid questions.**

**KittyWolfM: Ahem… Lot of controversy about this name thing, huh? *Nervous Chuckle* Ok, so, Dean and Sam probably won't be pairing with any of the main characters of the story, but I make no guarantees. I really don't know where this story is going.**

**SilverDragonflymoon: Me too, buddy… me too.**

**Ana Luisa: Sé que fue un poco corto, será más largo en el futuro. Y gracias!**

**One more thing, guys, there is a poll open for what house Harry will be in. go look at it please! Thank you! Gridline _out!_**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_~In the MacLeod mansion, three years later~_

Harry woke up in his bedroom. Looking around, he saw nothing but knives and guns and various kinds of weapons. He also saw Qaudpot teams, he supported the Wolves of Wainwright. His mother had told him about a sport in magical Britain that was similar to Qaudpot, it was called Quidditch. Harry thought he was pretty good on a broom; at least, he could keep up with the other wizards.

Jacob had turned out to be a 'Magbob,' or, as his mother called it, a 'Muggleborn.'

Harry liked his mother's term better, if only because he felt less goofy when saying it.

Harry had wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since Lily had told him about the great walls and spires, the hidden rooms and passageways, the things hidden that could be found if those knew where to look. Harry had written to it, asking if he could attend, and gotten a letter back from a witch named Professor McGonagall. She had said he could attend, but Hogwarts would not be providing a means of transportation to Britain. Harry had not thought they would, and was glad he could shadow travel. The distance was just a bit too far, though, so he would be making pit stops in Washington D.C., Portugal, and then to Britain. His dad would be accompanying him, of course. Harry couldn't wait.

Harry got out of bed, and started getting his workout clothes on. Crowley had told him how a man had tried to kill him when he was a baby, and Crowley was now determined to make Harry unapproachable. Harry already had bulging biceps that looked good with his jet black hair and green eyes.

Harry grabbed his favorite knife from his nightstand(A bone handle from Purgatory, with steel from the time of the Kurds. Apparently there was a twin of the knife, except for the handle, somewhere in the world, and Harry intended to find it at some point)and went down to meet his father.

Crowley nodded when seeing his son wearing their usual outfit, and started out to the backyard.

When there, Harry immediately got into a ready stance, keeping his eyes on Crowley at all times.

Crowley started to instruct his son. "You need to keep your knife lower. Feet spread out more, and don't let your eyes leave me."

Harry was doing everything correctly. He knew Crowley was just trying to distract him, and kept his eyes on his dad. "Why don't you just come at me?"

Crowley shook his head. "Overconfidence is not good for one's health. I've lost many good demons because of overconfidence."

"I'm not overconfident, I just know what I can do."

Crowley shrugged. "Don't be so sure, Harry."

Harry sensed a demon's feelings behind him. Nervousness, with a hint of determination. Harry pretended not to notice, and kept his eyes on Crowley. "Hey Dad, don't you think two demons isn't enough? I mean, it's barely even a challenge," and as Harry sensed the demon panicking, Harry turned and threw the knife, hitting the demon square in the back. Harry turned to keep an eye on Crowley, and found nothing but an empty backyard. He immediately dropped down to the ground, as he heard a swishing noise above him. He rolled away, and stood in front of his father once again.

"Is that all you got?" Harry asked cockily, as he felt a stinging in his hands, mouth and rear. In a matter of a few seconds, Harry looked like a hairless werewolf. His alternate form may not be pretty, but he was told as he got older, something would happen to make him unique among other cambions. Besides, it was effective.

Crowley shook his head. "This really isn't fair, you know."

Harry laughed. "No, Dad, it's not. In your own words, demons don't play fair."

Crowley turned around, grabbed Harry's knife, and turned back all in one fluid movement. Throwing the knife, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Harry turned and grabbed Crowley by the throat, using his telekinesis to stop the knife behind him.

"I win," said Harry, then turned, dropped his knife into his hand, and walked inside.

Crowley laughed breathlessly and followed.

Inside, Harry had already grabbed the milk and cereal, and was pouring himself a bowl. He turned back to his father. "Want some?" he asked, holding out the box.

Crowley shook his head. "I'll wait for your mother. You ready for the trip?"

Harry nodded. "I just need to pack the last of my equipment."

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "You're going to school, not getting information out of a demon."

Harry shrugged. "Best to come prepared, right?"

Crowley grunted as he got one of the blood bowls down to talk with one of his demons. "Well look at the boy scout over here."

Lily came down the stairs yawning, and ruffled Harry's hair as she was passing by. "Ready for tomorrow, Harry?"

"Yes, Mum."

"Good."

Crowley looked up. "Harry, today we'll be disciplining a demon," he said. Shaking his head, he looked back down at the blood bowl. "Seems to think she can do whatever she wants, eh? Well, she's never seen my boy."

Harry grinned, and finished his cereal. Lily sat beside him. "Crowley, this is the third time this month. You need to find some other way to get them to obey you."

Harry looked up. "Dad, let's just kill her. She is of no more use to you."

Crowley nodded. "Good idea, but I say we give her one more chance."

Harry shrugged. "Ok. I'm going to go get ready."

Crowley nodded and kept talking to the bowl. Upstairs, Harry finished packing a few instruments that would have him arrested if anyone knew. Just another Tuesday in the MacLeod mansion.

_~In Puerto Rico, a few hours later~_

Harry and Crowley popped up in a flash of smoke, and were immediately led to a room by two demons. Inside, there was a woman tied to a chair, struggling to break free. Seeing Crowley and Harry, her eyes widened and panicked, struggling even harder. Harry was well known among the demons for being exceptional at torturing information out of disobedient demons.

"Well hello, love. Heard that you were collecting early, just came to check that everything was ok."

She spit in his face. "I get no action here! I get to collect every two and a half years or so! All the while, you sit up in your pretty mansion with a human and _him._" Harry grinned and twirled his knife.

Crowley shrugged. "Alright, how's this. If you can beat Harry in a fight, we'll let you go. If not, well," he smiled, "We get to have some fun."

The demon smiled, and soon the ropes were undone. Harry turned to his father and whispered, "How fast do you want it?"

Crowley turned back and whispered, "Make it quick.I want to check your pack before we leave tomorrow."

"Alright," said Harry, who then turned to find the demon circling him. He bent his knees a bit and held his knife in front. Suddenly, the demon rushed forward, pushing his knife away with telekinesis. Harry grinned and straightened up, spreading his arms. The demon narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but she couldn't refuse an opening like that. She jumped at him, her knife extended, and stabbed him.

Or so she thought. Looking down, she found she hadn't even scratched him. She stabbed him again, with no success. Looking up in fear, she found no pity in those green eyes. She also saw he wasn't even looking at her, but at something behind her. Turning, she saw nothing, and as she whirled around, she was stabbed in the arm.

Screaming in pain, she fell to her knees. Harry grabbed her by the same arm and hauled her back to the chair. Soon the chains were back on, and she was trapped.

Crowley grinned. "Good job, Harry," and turning to the demon, "Don't worry, we won't kill you. We're just going to show you who's boss, a bit."

Harry raised his knife and looked at his father. Crowley tilted his head and gestured toward the demon.

The demon's screams could be heard around the block, luckily, no one lived around there.

_~After a strict warning, the demon agreed that she would not collect early in the MacLeod mansion, just a few moments later~_

Harry and Crowley came into the kitchen, and Harry went up to bed. He wanted to be at full strength for tomorrow. Crowley went up to his and Lily's room. He found Lily reading, and with a few whispered goodnights, the house was silent once again.

_~Tomorrow, Harry and Crowley traveled to Washington D.C. and then Portugal. When finally in Britain, a Muggle saw them, and yelled. Crowley killed him and they traveled to King's Cross~_

"Alright," said Crowley looking around. "Your mother said to run into a wall between stations one and ten."

Harry looked at his father incredulously. "What?"

"I know. I don't know what she was thinking."

Harry looked around. Suddenly, he heard a British voice, a girl, talking to what he assumed were her parents. "Mum, Professor McGonnagal said to run into that wall!"

Her mother said, "Hermione, I'm not letting you run into a wall to get to a station."

Harry started walking toward the voices. Crowley followed, trusting that his son knew what he was doing. Harry came to a pretty girl with light brown hair, talking to her parents.

"Excuse me," said Harry courteously. The girl looked at him, as did her parents. "I heard you talking about getting to the station. You think it was this wall?"

The girl, Hermione, nodded. "Well, I think it is. I'm not sure," she looked at his pack, then back at his face. "Are you American?"

Harry bowed. "At your service, Hermione. How's about I test this, and if it works, I'll come back for you."

Hermione's face turned red and she mumbled something about doing it herself.

"It's fine," said Harry pleasantly. "I'm used to getting knocked about; if it doesn't work, it'll be just like every other morning."

Turning, he ran straight at the wall.

Turns out it wasn't the right wall. Harry bounced off, and his pack went flying.

Hearing a snort, he turned and found a red headed family passing by. The person in question was young, about the same age as Harry. Two twins turned back and helped Harry up. "That's the wrong wall, mate. You were one off," said one.

"Yeah, you need to run at that one," said the other, pointing around the pillar.

"Ok, thanks," said Harry, stretching. Hermione came up to him with a worried look on her face. "Are you alright?"

Harry laughed. "I'm fine. Thank you," he said, taking his bag from her.

The twins were squinting at him. "Are you American, mate?"

"Yeah, we can tell by your accent."

"Yes, I'm American. The name's Harry. What's yours?"

"Well, I'm Gred-"

"And I'm Forge-"

"Or, you can call us-"

"Fred and George."

Harry laughed. "Well, alright then. See you on the train?"

"Definitely," said the Twins, and they raced off to find their family.

Harry turned back to his father, who had been talking to Hermione's parents. "Hey, Dad, I know where we need to go."

They turned toward Harry, and followed him to the other pillar. Hermione grabbed his shoulder, and said, "Let me run at this one, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "No, all your stuff will fly out of the trolley if it's not. I'll come back and get you if it is the one." And with that, he ran at the pillar once again. Closing his eyes, he heard a whooshing sound and opened them, seeing a red train with people already getting on.

Rushing back, he said, "Hermione! We have to go, it's about to leave!"

Hermione turned to her parents, gave them one last hug, whispered a good-bye, and ran into the pillar. Harry hugged Crowley, and said, "Tell Mom I said bye."

"Will do. Good-bye, Harry."

"Bye Dad."

As Harry ran into the pillar, Crowley watched him go with a smile on his face.

"That's a good boy you've got there," said Mr. Granger.

"Yes he is," said Crowley proudly.

**So, short, I know, but I want the train ride to have a bit more space in the story. So, here are the reviews.**

**SilverDragonflymoon: Yes, I love writing about Crowley.**

**Sakura Lisel: Good! Also, thanks for being the critic of the story. My friend writes fanfiction, and he says that while he gets flames, they never explain why they don't like it. You actually explain what's wrong, so thanks.**

**Ana Luisa: ****Lo contaré como un voto en mi encuesta.**

**Maya Langston: Good! And I know what you mean. This won't be Weasley bashing, but Dumbledore might be manipulative. Still, I can't make any promises. Like I said, I have no idea where this is going. I just love writing.**

**So, my poll has only 4 votes so far, 5 if you count Ana Luisa (Which I will), so go check it out! I'll be taking it down next chapter, so hurry! Thank you all! Gridline **_**out.**_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_~In Platform 9 ¾, a few moments later~_

"Harry!"

Harry came out of the pillar to find the train already leaving, with kids and parents waving good-bye. Hermione had been running alongside it, trying to ge on, but with no luck. She rushed up to him.

"Harry, I couldn't get on in time! I put up my trolley, but then the train started moving and I couldn't get on in time!" Hermione looked like she was about to cry.

"Come with me," said Harry. He could probably catch up to the train with no pack, not to mention Hermione, but he wasn't leaving either of them. He pulled her into a corner and started adjusting his straps on his pack. Hermione was bewildered, temporarily forgetting that they had missed the train. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready," replied Harry. He held out his hand. "I need you to hold on and _do not_ let go."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione, if you want to get to Hogwarts, you need to trust me."

Hermione couldn't help noticing the similarities to Alladin. Harry was Alladin, she was Jasmine, and he was trying to get her to ride with him on his magic carpet. This thought brought a blush to her face, and Harry smiled like he knew what she was thinking. Tentatively, she put her hand in his, and he pulled her deeper into the dark corner.

And they were gone.

_~In Hermione POV, during the shadow travel~_

_Hermione opened her eyes tentatively, and saw a huge ravine below her. Air was rushing past her, and as she looked up, she saw Harry looking forward confidently. He was flying, with her hand in his. His arm was entwined with dark tattoo-like designs, and he seemed… different. More powerful. _

_As they were flying past a web of chains, she thought she heard a scream. "Harry!" she yelled, trying to be heard over the whistling of the wind. "What was that?"_

_Harry turned to look at her, and she saw, not the green eyes that had captivated her on the platform, but pitch black eyes that seemed to look through her. Crying out in shock, she pulled her hand away from his. Harry's eyes widened in shock as she fell through the fog below them. _

_As she fell, all she could hear was the wind, and thunder. She screamed and curled up in the air. All she could do was wait for the fall to end._

_She felt hands grab her and hold her close, and she felt them flying up and forward. At that moment, she blacked out._

_~On the Hogwarts Express, Almost the instant after Harry and Hermione had disappeared from the platform~_

Harry shook Hermione frantically. This was not how he wanted to start his year.

Hermione had traveled with him through hell, and had seen his Prince of Hell appearance. This had frightened her, and she had fallen. As Harry caught her, she had blacked out. He had traveled to an unoccupied compartment at the back of the train, and was now trying to wake her up.

Harry gritted his teeth, then made her feel terrified with his empathy. She shot up, screaming, and he then calmed her down.

She looked around, bewildered. She saw him, scrambled back, and said shakily, "Who are you?"

He tried to grab her hand. He didn't know why, but he wanted her to trust him. "I'm Harry MacLeod Potter. I'm just a student, like you, and I was just trying to get us onto the train."

Hermione was still nervous, he could tell that without his empathy. "What just happened?"

Harry hesitated. "I… ehm… Apparated." He sat against the wall of the compartment, deflated. He didn't like lying.

Hermione was still nervous around him, but she hated to see people unhappy. Gingerly, she put an arm around him. "I'm sorry. I can tell you didn't mean to scare me, you were only trying to help."

Harry looked at her gratefully, then stood up. "Let's go get your stuff."

Hermione saw he still had his pack on. She nodded, and walked away with him.

When out, they heard someone yelling. "Gerrof, Malfoy! Nobody wants you here!"

"Well said, Weaselby! Now how about you just _get_ me out, cause it's obvious I'm not leaving!"

Harry walked up behind the two boys fighting. One had blonde hair, and the other was the redhead that had laughed at Harry at King's Cross. Harry tapped them both on the shoulder. When they both turned to look at him, he said, "What's the problem?"

The redhead was the first to speak. "Malfoy won't leave me and my friends alone!" He turned back to Malfoy. "You're not needed, Malfoy! Why don't you just go?"

Malfoy ignored him. He was examining Harry, and was impressed with what he saw. _He'd be much better than Crabbe and Goyle,_ Malfoy thought. Holding out his hand, he said, "It's Draco Malfoy. I was just showing those other mudbloods and blood traitors who's boss," he looked at Hermione with distaste, who stepped behind Harry. "It would seem you've got one behind you, at the moment."

Harry disliked him from the start, and that dislike formed into hate the moment Malfoy insulted Hermione. "How about you just go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, Malfoy."

Malfoy sneered. "Make me."

Harry shrugged. "As you wish," and he grabbed Malfoy by the collar and threw him down the aisle. Malfoy scrambled up and looked at Harry in surprise.

The redhead was looking at Harry with something like worship. "Thanks, mate!" he said. "My name's Ronald Weasley. You can call me Ron."

"Hello, Ron. My name's Harry MacLeod Potter. And this is-"

"Hermione Granger. Pleasure," she said. Harry couldn't believe how casual she was acting. It was almost as if she hadn't just gone to Hell and back.

"We were just going down to get her stuff. Want to come?" asked Harry.

"Sure." They continued down the train.

Girls turned to look at Harry as he passed. He grinned. He wasn't bad-looking, with his hair, eyes and how fit he was. One girl, chinese by the looks of it, came over to introduce herself. "Hello! My name is Cho Chang. What's yours?"

"Harry MacLeod Potter."

Cho looked surprised. "Are you American?"

Harry sighed. "Yes."

"Cool," she said awkwardly. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Harry!"

Harry looked back at Hermione and Ron. Hermione was grinning, and Ron just shrugged. They continued.

When they finally got to Hermione's trolley, they got her robes. By then it was almost time to get their robes on, and they had to use the compartment that Ron had been in. His friends were Dean and Seamus. Dean and Seamus were pleasant enough, and Harry and Ron and Dean went in to change first.

This left Seamus and Hermione to change. Seamus grinned, and said, "There's probably not enough time. We'll have to change together."

Hermione looked uncomfortable, but Harry saw she wasn't going to say no. So he said it for her. "No, Seamus. Change first. If we get there first, I'll stay with her."

Seamus looked a bit annoyed, but he nodded and went in to change. Hermione smiled at Harry, and changed when Seamus was done.

When they got there, Harry led his friends out of the train. He had left his pack on the train, but had brought his knife with him.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, follow me please!" yelled a huge man at the end of the platform. As the first years seperated with the older students, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand so as not to get separated from him. He smiled at her, and held on. Soon, they were in a boat with two twins by the name of Padma and Parvati. Parvati seemed to be enraptured by the castle. Padma, however, was able to talk, and Harry found he liked her. She was intelligent, and had a sense of humor that soon had Harry and Hermione laughing.

When inside, the giant man herded them toward a tall woman in a lime green dress.

"Hello, students," she said. "I am Professor McGonnagal. Soon, you will be sorted into your houses. Give me a moment, and then you will be brought in."

As she left, Malfoy came up to Harry with two gorilla-like boys behind him. "Bet you won't be so confident now will you, eh?"

Harry grinned. "The name's Harry Potter, and if you really think they'll give me much of a fight, then you're delusional."

Malfoy laughed. "Don't be so sure. Crabbe and Goyle have both trained in the martial arts."

"You saw firsthand what I can do on the train. Do you really want to get caught in the middle of that again?"

"I won't," said Malfoy arrogantly. "You'll be on the floor, begging for mercy."

Harry took a step closer, and the trio unconsciously took a step back. "How about we set up a little something when we have time, eh?"

Malfoy's eyebrows furrowed. "Like what?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "A fight, genius."

"Oh," said Malfoy sheepishly. He stepped back into the crowd with his two thugs as McGonnagal came back.

"They're waiting for you," she said, and turned and walked out the doors. The students followed.

Inside, the students walked in, and were overwhelmed by the light and how many people there were. The first years walked down the aisle, staring up at the ceiling, which, Harry had read, was enchanted to look like the sky above it.

Professor McGonnagal stopped beside a stool that had the Sorting Hat sitting on top. Harry had heard from his mum that he would hear the Hat's voice in his head as it decided what House he would be in.

"Abbot, Hannah," called out Professor McGonnagal. A short, slightly plump witch walked out in front of the Great Hall. She sat on the stool, and Professor Mcgonnagal placed the Hat on her head. After a moment, the Hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hannah went to sit at her table with students clapping her on the back and congratulating her. After that, Professor McGonnagal called out Susan Bones, who went to Hufflepuff as well.

Draco was called soon. The Hat hadn't even touched him when it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Well, that's not surprising," whispered Ron to Harry. "Can you imagine if it had said Gryffindor or something? Blimey, I would like to see that."

Harry grinned, then watched as Hermione was called.

She went up nervously. After a long moment of consideration, the Hat yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

She grinned, and ran to her new House.

After a few more names, including Padma and Parvati, who ended up in different Houses, Harry was called.

"Harry MacLeod-Potter!"

Harry started up to the stool. Unseen by him, Dumbledore slightly rose out of his chair at the sound of his name, then sat back down. He would call Harry up to his office tomorrow to see if he was the son of James and Lily Potter.

Harry sat on the stool, slightly nervous. Lily had been in Gryffindor, and Crowley was a squib, so he hadn't gone to Hogwarts.

As Professor McGonnagal put the Hat on his head, he thought of how he didn't really care what House he would be in.

_Aha! _Said the voice of, presumably, the Hat. _That's a bad decision, Mr. Potter… Cambion, eh? Can't say we've had one of those before, and I would know. Your demon heritage would suggest Slytherin, but everything about your personality suggests otherwise. Ah well, we'll see how this turns out, won't we?_

Outside of Harry's head, the Hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"

That table clapped and cheered, Hermione among them. Harry was glad to see she had forgiven him. He went and sat beside her, then turned to watch the rest of the Sorting.

After a few more names, Ron was up. He walked up to the stool, and the Hat almost immediately called, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron grinned, and went to his table.

After Blaise Zabini, another Slytherin, Dumbledore stood. "I have a few words that I would like to say before we begin." He cleared his throat, drank a glass of water, and said, "A few words."

The students laughed, and food appeared on the table.

Padma looked at her spoon in wonder. "Is it real gold?"

A prefect, by the name of Roger Davies, said, "If you take it from the Great Hall, it will disappear. So don't be getting any ideas," he said, and winked. They laughed, and started eating.

Harry had never eaten so well in his life. Lily's cooking wasn't bad, but Crowley's was just plain horrible. Harry, looking around, saw nothing but perfection. He wanted to shake hands with the chef that cooked all this.

When the feast was over, Harry followed the rest of the first years up to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

The door knocker suddenly spoke, frightening a few girls that were standing a bit too close. "With three eyes and black as night, I knock down ten men in a single strike. What am I?"

The prefects were stumped. Harry thought about, but didn't know what it could be. Suddenly a voice piped up from behind him. "A bowling ball!"

Harry turned to find Hermione blushing. "Me and my parents bowl a lot."

The door knocker grinned, and the door swung open.

Inside, the prefects, Roger and another, Penelope Clearwater, explained where they would be staying. "Boys, upstairs, girls, downstairs," said Roger.

"Follow me," said Penelope, and led the girls down. Roger gestured, and the boys followed him.

In his dormitory, Harry grinned. He would be sharing the dorm with Terry Boot, Michael Corner, and Anthony Goldstein. He liked Terry and Michael, but Anthony rubbed him the wrong way. Harry would still be civil, but he would also not go out of his way to help him.

Harry shook his head as he drew the curtains back on his bed. Today couldn't have gone any better.

**Wow, I'm zooming through this, aren't I? I could make the chapters longer, but my computer has a habit of deleting my documents. I don't want to lose too much if it decides to do that to The Demon Inside.**

**So, my poll had almost no results. 6 people! Is that the best you can do? Come on!**

**Here's to myreviews, from Sakura Lisel and KateKat:**

**Sakura Lisel: Harry wrote to them as Harry MacLeod-Potter. And he was called up with the same, so… Also, he wouldn't show up in their book because he's American.**

**KateKat: I can't wait for next chapter.**

**Thank you! Gridline **_**out.**_


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_~Hogwarts, Harry's first day in Hogwarts~_

Harry woke up. He heard Terry, Michael and Anthony snoring, and quietly crept out to the stairs with his knife.

In the common room, Harry started stretching. When he was done, he walked out of the common room and started running.

Lily had said that Hogwarts was huge, but Harry didn't fully understand this until he started running down the Ravenclaw tower and back up. He only managed to do it twice before heading into the common room again.

Inside, a few people had woken up. Most of them sat in the chairs, yawning, but Hermione was sitting at the table, reading. The book she had was huge, even for a Ravenclaw, and Harry walked over to her, curious.

"What are you reading?"

She turned another page, and spoke almost absentmindedly. "Hogwarts, a History. I'm looking for a map of the castle, until I get to know my schedule."

"It's a waste of time," said a voice from behind them. Turning, they saw it was Roger. "Hogwarts is Unplottable. So, you can't make a map of it."

Hermione looked a bit panicked. "But what about getting to our classes in time? We wouldn't be able to navigate Hogwarts easily with a map, let alone without one!"

Roger chuckled. "Just ask any student second year or up. They'll know where to go. And anyway, the only teachers you need to worry about are Professor McGonnagal and Professor Snape. The others know how hard it is to navigate the castle, so they'll go easy on you."

Harry was confused. "Why make Hogwarts Unplottable? What's the point in not being able to make a map of it?"

"That's not what it's for, Harry. Hogwarts is Unplottable so that if Muggles found it, they wouldn't be able to mark it down on a map. That is, if they got past all the other wards."

Hermione was now curious as well. "Like what?"

Roger shrugged. "Like, Muggle-Deterring Charms and Illusions. The castle would look like an old broken down cottage to a Muggle." Roger leaned in. "Legend has it that Godric Gryffindor made a few more that were a _bit_ more lethal, so the headmasters shut them off. They couldn't banish them completely, though, so now there are just dormant wards lying around, waiting to be turned back on."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He would have to let his dad know how defensible Hogwarts was; they could use this in a bad spot. His dad had little demon uprisings all the time, they were usually more annoying than anything else. There was the occasional dangerous one, however, and Harry felt that Crowley could really use a place like this in case things went south.

Harry stood back up. "I'll see you guys at breakfast, I need to change before my classes."

Roger nodded. "See you, Harry."

Hermione waved. "Bye, Harry."

_~ Later, at breakfast~_

Harry came down to the Great Hall in not-sweat-soaked clothes, and headed over to Hermione. "Hey Hermione, what do you have first?" he asked, as he served himself some toast and eggs.

Hermione looked at her schedule. "Charms, with Professor Flitwick."

Harry checked his. "Same here. With Hufflepuff?"

"Yes. Do you think they just put all the House's first years in the same periods?"

"I think so. What about after that?"

Hermione looked at her schedule again. "Potions, with Professor Snape."

They were interrupted by a girl walking over awkwardly, with her friends giggling and pointing behind her. "Excuse me, but are you American?" she asked shyly.

Harry sighed, and put his face in his hands. "Why is this such a big thing?"

"Because everyone who is here is British," said Padma matter-of-factly. "Having an American in Hogwarts is unheard of."

Harry, exasperated but unwilling to be rude, stood up from the Ravenclaw table, and held out his hand to the Hufflepuff girl. "Harry MacLeod-Potter, at your service."

The girl, clearly surprised he hadn't brushed her off, blushed and took his hand. "Susan Bones. My aunt works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Never heard of it, but I'm sure it's important."

Susan blushed again, and walked back to her table. Harry shook his head and sat back down beside Hermione. A few seats down the table, Roger and his friends were shaking with controlled laughter. "Harry," said Roger, wiping his tear stained face. "You're going to need to get used to that, my friend."

This caused his friends to explode with laughter again, and Harry grinned.

When breakfast was over, Harry headed out the Great Hall with everyone else, but instead of going up the stairs with Hermione and Padma, he left the group with the excuse of going to the bathroom, and walked into a dark corner where no one could see him. There, he shadow traveled upstairs to try to find the Charms classroom.

_~Professor McGonnagal's POV, at the same time~_

Professor McGonnagal had followed the first years out of breakfast, intent on finding Harry MacLeod-Potter to tell him Professor Dumbledore wanted to see him. She saw him walking away from the students and followed him, but when she went around the corner to get him, she found nothing. Looking around, she didn't see any door he could have gone in. Blaming it on a trick of the light, she decided she would find him when Filius's class was done.

_~Harry's POV, when he found the classroom~_

Harry traveled out of Hell in front of the classroom needed. He was glad time didn't pass the same in Hell as it did in the real world, or Harry would be tardy to every single class.

Walking in, he found a goblin walking around, setting books on desks and getting ready to teach the lesson.

"Hello," said Harry. "I didn't know we had a goblin teaching Charms, I heard there was some prejudice against them."

Professor Flitwick, Harry remembered, turned and greeted him. "You must be the American Ravenclaw I have. Good to meet you, my boy! And smart too, first one to find the class this quickly!"

Harry shrugged. "I got some help from the other students."

Professor Flitwick nodded, then continued putting books on desks. Harry, feeling slightly uncomfortable not doing anything, said, "Professor Flitwick, may I help you?"

The Professor turned in surprise. He couldn't remember the last time a student had offered to help him. He smiled widely and accepted Harry's helping hands. "Why, yes! Thank you, Harry. I would use a spell, but these books are slightly fragile, and the spell is not exactly gentle. Ten points to Ravenclaw."

Harry nodded, and started placing the books on the rest of the desks. This was the scene the rest of the class walked into, and Hermione came up to him. "Harry, how did you find your way up here so fast? We were walking around for ten minutes, and we had to go back down to the Great Hall to try to find our way again."

Harry shrugged again, and placed the last book on the desk. Walking back to the desk he had placed his bag beside, and said, "I don't know what to tell you, Hermione, I just got lucky."

Hermione humphed, and sat beside Padma, across the aisle. When most of the class settled in, with most of the other students slightly scared of the bulky American in the third row, Flitwick started the class. "Alright, students! Today we will be starting Charms, the most important class in Hogwarts, in my opinion."

Suddenly the door at the back of the class opened, and some more students trickled in. Among them were Susan, and Harry waved her over. "Hey," he said, when she was sitting beside him.

"Hello," she replied. "What have I missed?"

"Nothing. Just the Professor gushing over his favorite subject."

Susan chuckled, and opened her book.

Harry, following suit, couldn't believe his eyes. His mother had taught him some of the spells she remembered from first year, and looking at the index, it looked like there were only two or three that Lily had forgotten. Couple that with the fact that Harry had practiced the spells as soon as he had gotten his wand from Discreet Magical Products, and Harry had read his textbook the moment he got it, and Harry would need a new textbook.

While the rest of the class was listening to Professor Flitwick's lecture about Charms theory, Harry was considering his dilemma. He had a photographic memory, so there was no chance of him forgetting what he had read. He would probably have to practice the spells a bit more, but after that, Harry might be able to progress to the second year by December, at the latest. Harry would also need to see what other classes he would need new textbooks for.

"Harry," whispered Susan. Harry looked around, and saw that the rest of the class were writing in their notebooks. "Professor Flitwick asked us to go to page fifty and write notes on Charms theory."

Harry sat back in his chair for a moment and tried to remember that chapter. It had mentioned Gilderoy Lockhart, along with Vindictus Viridian discovering the differences between charms and jinxes. He leaned forward and started to write down the notes.

Susan watched in amazement as Harry wrote about Viridian and Adalbert Waffling discovering the uses of the Pointer Charm, along with how charms could be used for Defense Against the Dark Arts, without even opening his book. Looking down at her own notes, she couldn't find anything that was incorrect.

Harry noticed her face and grinned, whispering, "Photographic memory."

Susan stared at him for a moment longer, then shook her head and continued with her own work.

At the end of class, Harry walked up to Flitwick's desk. "Professor, I wanted to talk to you about something."

The Professor looked up at him. "Yes, what is it, Harry?"

"Well, I have a photographic memory, and I read my textbook. I also practiced the spells my mother described and demonstrated, and I could do most of them. So, when I opened my book, to take down some notes, I found that there was almost nothing I hadn't already cast."

Flitwick put down his quill and crossed his arms. He looked surprised, and deservedly so. "Harry, I want you to calm me down. Cast a Calming Charm on me."

Harry did so, and Flitwick looked a bit less surprised. He actually looked tired. "Ok, Harry now cheer me up."

Harry did that as well, and Flitwick looked ready to jump out of his chair. "My, Harry, you put a lot of power in those spells! From the level you're on, we just need to teach you a bit of history on Charms, how to regulate your power level when casting, and you could be in second year!"

Harry was happy to hear that. At that moment, Professor McGonnagal walked into the room. "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you."

Harry was confused. "Did I do something wrong?" Harry really hoped not, getting sent back to America on his first day would not exactly make his parents proud.

"I don't know, Mr. Potter, but I would suggest going there now."

Harry nodded, and started for the door. He was stopped by Professor Flitwick's voice saying, "Harry, ask Professor Dumbledore about your problem. He'll know what to do."

"Yes, sir," replied Harry, and he walked out.

_~Outside Dumbledore's office, a few minutes later~_

Harry stood outside the gargoyles with Professor McGonnagal. After she said something to them (Fizzing Whizbees) they opened, and Harry walked up the staircase. McGonnagal stayed downstairs, heading to her class.

When he got to the Headmaster's office, he raised his hand to knock. Instead, the door drifted open.

Harry, walking in, found nothing that made sense. At all. There were spinning instruments that did nothing but make dripping noises, and others that hopped in a circle. On the walls were paintings of men and women that did nothing but stare down at Harry, and make him feel slightly uncomfortable.

There was one thing, though, that caught Harry's attention. At the end of the room, there was a desk, with an old man that Harry assumed was the headmaster.

But what held Harry's attention was the beautiful red and gold bird that sat on its perch.

Harry walked towards it in a trance. Dumbledore, sensing something that he did not fully understand was about to happen, did nothing but watch. Harry reached out to touch the bird, but froze when it turned to look at him. The bird looked over the hand that was stretched out in front of it, then lowered its head in permission.

Harry slowly lowered his hand to pet the bird. As his hand touched the bird's plumage, Harry and Dumbledore heard a shriek outside the castle.

The office was silent except for the numerous drips and clicks of the instruments, and Harry heard nothing else.

Dumbledore was listening for another shriek, but, hearing nothing, turned to the boy that had fascinated him within a minute of stepping into his office.

The Headmaster decided to be the first to break the silence. "Hello, my boy."

Harry turned back to the Headmaster, startled. Unconsciously, he started to stroke the bird again. "Hello, Headmaster. What was that? And what kind of bird is this?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Call me Dumbledore, Harry. This is Fawkes, a phoenix. As for what we heard, I do not know."

Dumbledore got up from his chair and walked around to Harry. "I asked for you because I wished to ask you something. Your last name- where is it from? Are you the son of Lily and James Potter?"

Harry's eyes darkened. "No. I am the son of Lily and Crowley MacLeod-Potter; James Potter was my mother's husband before he died. He also thought it was fine to beat his wife. My father saved her, and I was born shortly afterward."

Dumbledore's eyes widened at all this information. Seeing the lad was offended, Dumbledore hastily explained. "I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to be insensitive. I knew your mother and James. They helped me defeat the Dark Lord. I never knew where they went, so I assumed they had died in the battle."

Harry relaxed. He could see that the Headmaster had meant it as an innocent question, so he forced down his anger. He also could sense that there was no maliciousness meant. "Yes, sir. I understand."

Harry sensed Dumbledore's relief, and continued. "Sir, I was wondering if I could progress to the second year early, when Professor Flitwick says I'm ready. I studied my Charms at home, so I know most of them already. The Professor said he just needed to teach me some history and control, and I would be ready."

Dumbledore nodded. "If Filius thinks you're ready, then you may progress as fast as you need."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore smiled. "No, thank you, Harry. You answered my question, personal as it may be, and that is worth much more." He looked at his clock. "Now go, or you will be late to Professor Snape's class."

Harry nodded, and walked out.

_~In the Forbidden Forest, during Harry's and Dumbledore's meeting~_

_In the same hollow from eight years ago, the phoenix felt its master touch another phoenix. And in its territory, too! The black and white phoenix got up and stretched, and flew off into the night. If it was going to meet its master soon, it intended for it to be on a full stomach._

Thank you guys for how this story is being recepted. I know that this chapter took longer to write, but I was sick, and I was helping my friend move out. I'm back now, though! And this chapter was hard to write. The beginning was bland, but I know where I'm going with the next chapter. To my _one_ review, from the very prestigious Silver Dragonflymoon:

Thank you.

That wraps it up! See you guys next chapter, Gridline _out._


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_~In Hogwarts, outside Snape's classroom, after Harry's meeting with Dumbledore~_

Harry appeared down the hall from Professor Snape's class, and walked out toward the door. A few students saw him come out, but that didn't really matter in the long run. After all, who's going to walk up and say, "Hey, did you just appear in that corner in the one place that you can't Apparate into?"

Harry grinned. Now that would be funny.

Walking into the classroom, Harry found that most of the class was already there. It looked like the Ravenclaws would be sharing with the Slytherins in this class, sadly, Malfoy was in it. Hermione and Padma were as well, and Harry went and sat by them.

"Hey, guys," he said. "Had to head up to Dumbledore's. Did I miss anything?"

"No, just the Slytherins being Slytherins," said Padma. "It's cute to watch them try to insult me. All you really have to do is ignore them, and they work themselves up."

"It really is fun to watch," said Hermione absentmindedly, flipping through her book.

Harry laughed, and got out his book as well. Flipping to the index, he looked through the recipes. He saw that there were quite a few more potions that he didn't know, but he would have a decent headstart on the rest of the class.

All the students quieted down suddenly, and Harry looked up to see what was wrong. Looking at the back of the class, he found a bat-like man striding down the aisle, and Harry pulled his bag out of the way.

The man, presumably Professor Snape, stopped at the end of the aisle, and spun on his heel to take in his class. "I don't expect much of you," sneered the Professor. "I just hope you aren't a collection of dimwits like my last period. If you are, you will not enjoy the rest of this class." Professor Snape turned to the Slytherin side of the classroom. "Of course, my House will excel in this class. If they do not, they will have me to deal with."

Harry snorted. This man would be an easy target if Harry were fighting him. Just the way he held himself reeked of arrogance; Harry disliked the man immediately.

The Professor turned toward the noise. Seeing a student barely containing a smirk, Snape curled his lip. "You think this class will be easy, Mr. Potter? Very well, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry remembered this from the textbook. "It creates a Draught of Living Death, Professor."

Snape couldn't deny that, but he hadn't expected the brat to answer correctly, if at all. "Alright, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"There is no difference, sir, and it is also called aconite."

Snape was getting a bit fed up with twerp, and decided to have one more go at it. "Very well, where would I find a bezoar, and what would I use it for?"

"In the stomach of a goat, though a clam has been found that occasionally creates a bezoar instead of a pearl. As for what you would use it for, I believe it's a cure for all poisons."

Snape was victorious. "That is incorrect, Mr. Potter. A bezoar will not cure all poisons. Ten points from Ravenclaw."

Harry was furious. He had answered them correctly except for a minor detail. Using his empathy, he found that Snape was feeling triumph. This only served to make him angrier, and Harry almost exploded right there in the classroom. The fact that this man was that petty was disgusting, and Harry was not looking forward to the next few years with him. His only comfort was that he could sense that most of the class agreed with him; the dominant emotion in the classroom was annoyance.

As Snape continued with the class, Harry found that Potions was probably going to be the most difficult subject. The Professor trying to demean Harry at every opportunity was definitely not helping, but the real reason Harry would struggle was the simple fact that Harry was not very good at Potions. He remembered the ingredients, he remembered the steps, he just found some way to mess up each one.

By the end of class, Ravenclaw was in the negatives by twenty. Harry wasn't the most popular, but most of Ravenclaw understood that it wasn't his fault. Hermione had come up to him after the class, and after acting very cool towards him after the little trip to Hell, she said, "I'm sorry, Harry, that really wasn't fair. It must have been hard not to lash out at him." And with that, she left with Padma.

Harry headed off to his first class that was not with all of Ravenclaw. They had split in half, with half going to Herbology and half going to Astronomy. Harry would be going to Herbology with Gryffindor, and Hermione would be with Hufflepuff again in Astronomy.

Arriving at the greenhouses, Harry found some Slytherins beating up a Gryffindor. _God, these Slytherins are annoying,_ he thought. Rushing toward them, he jumped at the biggest of the three. Kicking him in the square of the back, Harry immediately turned to the other two. One hadn't noticed, but the other was running at him. Harry stepped to the side like the Slytherin was a charging bull, and tripped him.

Harry felt like laughing. He could use the most obvious moves on these guys again and again, but he wanted the fight to end quick. Getting expelled because of fighting would not go down well with his parents.

Unnoticed by Harry, he had drawn quite a crowd. All the students had wanted to meet the American, so the word had gotten around fast that Harry was battling three fourth-year Slytherins. Now they stood around in awe. This Ravenclaw was not someone you wanted on the other side of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Harry was fighting the last Slytherin. This one had to be the leader; he was the smartest and best at fighting. Instead of rushing Harry, he had gotten out his wand and was circling Harry. Harry grinned. Maybe this one would put up a bit more of a challenge.

The Slytherin threw a curse, and Harry dodged. Harry then swept the legs out from underneath the older boy, and elbowed him in the chest. This took him out of the fight just as effectively as knocking him out.

Harry shook his head in disappointment, looking down at him. "You guys need to work on your tactics. You might have taken me out with a few well-placed curses, if you had attacked me all at once. Instead, your gorillas ran after me without even telling you what was going on. Get yourself some new henchmen."

The Slytherin gritted his teeth and tried to respond, but he only managed to wheeze before giving up and laying his head on the grass.

As the rest of the students started to clear out, Harry walked toward the Gryffindor that the Slytherins had beaten up. The boy was curled up in the fetal position, shivering. Harry leaned down and tapped him, the boy slowly looked up.

"Hello," said Harry, offering him a hand. "The name's Harry MacLeod-Potter. What's yours?"

The boy tentatively took Harry's hand, as if expecting him to drop him and walk away. When that didn't happen, his confidence returned slightly and he replied, "Hi, my name is Neville. Neville Longbottom." He looked around at the Slytherins on the grass, and turned back to Harry with wide eyes. "Did you do that?"

Harry nodded. "They really weren't that smart. No doubt they'll forget about you and come back with backup in a couple of days, ready for some payback."

Neville shook his head. "And what will you do then?"

Harry shrugged. "Same thing. I'll just go a bit faster, and they'll drop like flies." Harry looked closer at Neville. He had a bruise forming on his neck. "Why were they beating you up anyway?"

Neville looked away. "I'm… erm… the Boy-Who-Lived, I guess. They didn't like that I killed their Lord."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "The Boy-Who-Lived through what? And what Lord?"

Neville squinted at Harry. "Do you really not… Oh. Are you the American?"

Harry nodded.

Neville nodded in understanding. "That explains it. A few years ago…"

_~A few minutes later, in front of Herbology~_

"So, now I'm famous for something I don't even remember doing," finished Neville. He sighed. "My Gran says I should be proud, but I just wish it didn't happen. I hate the attention it draws, like those Slytherins back there."

"But there have to be some people grateful for what you did, right?"

Neville chuckled. "You would think. Instead, they just seem to think it's all some big hoax. Like, they meet me, and they're like, 'this guy? This is the guy that defeated the Dark Lord?'"

Harry shook his head in disgust. "Wel, I'm sorry about that, Neville. I guess some people don't know how good they have it. I, for one, would like to offer my thanks, on behalf of Magical Britain," said Harry jokingly, holding out his hand.

Neville laughed and took it. "You're very welcome, good sir. After you?" he said, gesturing to the Herbology tent.

"Don't mind if I do," said Harry, ducking into the little greenhouse.

_~After Herbology, in the Great Hall~_

Harry walked into the Great Hall to almost half the school whispering and glancing at him. He was used to this; though for different reasons. In the muggle schools, he was notorious for the pranks he would pull on teachers and bullies.

Walking to the Ravenclaw table, he sat beside Hermione and Padma. Hermione turned to him with a disapproving look on her face. "Harry, did you really fight three Slytherins?"

"Not only that," said a second year Ravenclaw from down the table. "He fought them and won! He made it look easy!"

Harry looked at the Ravenclaw. "Did any of you notice the boy that the Slytherins had been beating up in the first place?"

The boy looked confused. "No, who was it?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm not going to say, because it would be an embarrassment to him. Just know, Hermione that I don't go looking for fights. It was right outside Herbology, and I couldn't just walk past that."

Hermione studied his face, then nodded. "Alright, Harry. And," she looked a bit shy for a moment, "thank you."

Harry grinned. "You're very welcome."

Hermione blushed, and Padma cut in. "Sorry to interrupt, but what do you guys have next?"

Harry looked down at his schedule. "A flying lesson with Madam Hooch, with Gryffindors, and then History of Magic with Professor Binns."

Padma looked at her schedule, and agreed. "Yeah, that's what I have too."

Hermione said it was hers as well. When lunch was over, Harry went with the two witches out to the fields.

When there, Harry found brooms lined up side by side and a grey-haired witch standing at the end of the lines. He walked up to her and said, "I have a bit of practice with a broom from playing Qaudpot, or at least, I can keep up with the rest. What are we doing in this lesson?"

Madam Hooch looked at him a bit disdainfully. "Flying."

Harry was a bit annoyed at her rudeness, but perhaps she always had a student that said he would be better than the rest. Harry stepped back to Hermione and Padma. _I guess we'll see how good these Brits are,_ he thought.

When most of the class was there, Madam Hooch began. "Today, I want to see no injuries of any kind. Do not fly off on your own unless I give you permission. Understand?"

When the class murmured agreement, she continued. "Now, step up to beside your broom."

Harry stepped up, as did Hermione and Padma beside him.

"Now, hold your hand out over your broom, and say, 'Up.'"

Harry held out his hand, and said "UP!" a bit forcefully, and the broom zoomed up to him. He looked up to see how the rest of the class was doing. He saw Padma had gotten it with her second try, while Hermione's broom was rolling on the ground. Neville's was struggling a bit, but it got up to his hand eventually.

Madam Hooch was just waiting for Hermione now, and she eventually just said gently, "Pick it up, dear."

Hermione did so, but she looked ready to cry. Harry put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed, then went back to the lesson.

"Now, step over it, and hold on firmly." Hooch surveyed her students. "You don't want to be sliding off the end."

Harry did so, and waited for the rest of the class. When they were ready, Madam Hooch walked around, correcting footing and grips. Harry looked over at Hermione, and helped her a bit. "You want your hands up a bit, otherwise you won't balance very well. You'll spread out your center of gravity, so you'll have less of a chance to fall."

Hermione adjusted her hands, and smiled at him gratefully. Madam Hooch walked by barely glancing at them, and Harry bent over his broom. He hadn't flown in a while; he was looking forward to this.

"Alright, class. When I blow this whistle, I want everyone to kick off from the ground firmly. Rise a few feet, then touch back down. Ready, one, two, THREE!"

When Madam Hooch blew her whistle, Harry rose up to above the class, and came back down. Then he watched the rest of the class. Padma was actually really good, but it was obvious the best in the class other than Harry was Anthony Goldstein. Anthony had gone up and back almost as fast as Harry.

As the class was settling down, Harry noticed that he couldn't see Neville. "Neville?" he called. "Neville!"

Madam Hooch looked at him, then her face paled and she started searching the sky. Harry, following suit, soon saw him flying out of control above the castle.

"There!" shouted Harry, and he got ready to fly up to him. That is, until Madam Hooch got to him.

"Mister Potter, you will not be flying up there. I don't need another student in the air to worry about."

Harry wasn't happy about it, nut he watched with the rest of the class as Neville flew out of control. Soon, he crashed into the side of the castle and fell down to earth. Madam Hooch rushed over to him, and saying something about staying on the ground unless they wanted to get expelled, helped him into the castle.

Harry watched as Anthony walked out to pick something up from the grass. "Well, what do you know? I've been wanting one of these."  
"That's Neville's, I saw him get it at breakfast," said Ron.

Anthony looked at him, and said, "Does he have it now, Weasel? Didn't think so."

Harry walked up behind him and whirled him around. "Give it to me."

Anthony laughed. "And why should I do that? You could just take it for yourself."

"I could, but I won't because I don't believe in taking people's belongings when they're hurt or sick. Give it to me."

Anthony turned and grabbed his broom. Before Harry could stop him, he had flown out of reach.

Harry grabbed his broom as well, and flew up to meet him. "Give it to me, Anthony."

Anthony sneered. "Go and get it," he said, and threw it at the castle.

Harry flew by the class, pushing the broom as fast as it would go. Barely grabbing it before it smashed into the wall, Harry flew through a window to avoid a collision. Sadly, he flew into Professor Flitwick's classroom. With Flitwick and the students gaping at him in shock, he flew back out to the rest of the Ravenclaws.

With much cheering from the class, Harry touched down. Striding through them, he came to Anthony. "Listen up, Goldstein. If you don't clean up your act, things won't go well for you."

Goldstein just scowled, but he didn't argue. Suddenly, the class hushed, and Harry saw Professor Flitwick walking out to them. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Harry walked over to meet him.

"Mister Potter," began Professor Flitwick sternly. "Come with me please."

Harry followed Flitwick into the castle and up through a corridor. Harry stood by meekly as Professor Flitwick went into a classroom and came out with Roger Davies.

"Harry, I would like you to meet our Quidditch Captain, Roger Davies."

"We've met," said Roger warmly.

"Well, Roger, I don't think you've met under these conditions before," said Professor Flitwick happily. Harry was getting increasingly confused. Was he getting expelled or not?

Roger was confused as well. "What do you mean, conditions?"

"Well, I would like you to meet Harry MacLeod-Potter, Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."

To say Harry was astonished was an understatement. Roger was surprised as well. "But, Professor, he's only a first year!" Roger looked at Harry sheepishly. "No offense."

"None taken," said Harry.

"Roger, I watched as this boy caught a Remembrall _as_ he flew through my window. Age has nothing to do with it."

Roger looked at Harry. "Those Americans must be pretty good, eh?"

Harry was coming out of the euphoria he had fallen into. "You should meet my friend Jacob. He can crush me in Qaudpot."

"Well, we don't have Jacob, we have you. And I think, if you're as good as Professor Flitwick says you are, we might have a chance at the Quidditch Cup this year."

Harry grinned, and asked if that would be all. With Professor Flitwick's consent, he ran back and told the class what had happened. Anthony Goldstein looked a bit angry about this sudden turn of events, but Harry didn't care. He was on Cloud Nine and nothing was bringing him down.

**Hey guys! So, I know I'm slowing down a bit with posting, and I'm sorry. I'm going to Phoenix Arizona this weekend and I won't be able to post until at least Tuesday.**

**Thank you to **_**everyone**_ **who reviewed and showed their support; you have no idea how much this means to me. I expected maybe a hundred people, tops, to look at my story. Instead, we are at 9,500 views and climbing! I'm hoping this chapter can put us at 10,000, that would be awesome. Now for the reviews.**

**Silver Dragonflymoon: Yes, you were! But don't worry, we got over that. I'm glad, and we will be hearing from the phoenix next chapter.**

** : I have read a few Harry-raised-by-Crowley Fanfics, but they are always Crowley taking him from the Dursleys or something like that. I had this idea and had to write it down. I'm glad to hear that you like my story, I hope you keep coming back for more.**

**RainDancin: You'll see soon!**

**Ana Luisa: ****Alegra oírlo!**

**Darlinator: You're awesome. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.**

**Gridline **_**out.**_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Harry walked into his dormitory with Terry Boot and Michael Corner. He was wondering what he was going to do about Goldstein. Malfoy was annoying, but he wasn't in Harry's dorm. Terry and Michael had explained that they were sorry for Anthony's actions, and that they couldn't believe he would do that.

Harry had laughed. "Why? Because he's in Ravenclaw?"

They had fidgeted. "Well… no, but he was always nice to us before."

"Well, maybe he just doesn't like me."

"Maybe," said Michael.

When they were going to bed, Harry went and looked out the window. His mother had said many things about Hogwarts, but she had always said her favorite thing about it was the view. He could see why; Ravenclaw tower looked over the Forbidden Forest, and over that, the moon rising.

He was half listening to the sounds of the night and Terry and Michael talking, when he heard their dormitory door open. Looking back, he found Anthony stalking over to his bed and drawing the curtains closed.

Grinning slightly, Harry turned back to the window. Suddenly, he saw a black speck flying over the Forbidden Forest. He couldn't explain it, but he felt an overpowering urge to go to it.

Michael and Terry had been talking about this muggle game called 'soccer' that Dean Thomas had been talking about, when they saw Harry slip out the door. They exchanged looks, then shrugged and continued their conversation.

Out in the common room, Harry was looking around to make sure nobody was awake. Seeing no one, he kept going. In the corridor, he turned left and started down the staircase. At the bottom, he turned right, and got to the Entrance Hall. He walked out into the night, and started jogging toward the Forest.

At the edge, he stopped. Up until then, there had been a haze over his mind. He hadn't known until then, but he now took out his knife and looked around. Something had been compelling him into going there, and he did not intend to be a magical beast's dinner.

He jumped as a shriek sounded out over the forest. His empathy exploded, and he felt something around him _enormously_ happy. He started grinning himself, and looked around, trying to find the source of such joy.

_~A few minutes earlier, over the Forbidden Forest~_

_The phoenix was flying out over the Forest, looking for smaller birds careless enough to be out at night. It would settle for a mouse or something if there was a chance, but the phoenix was not very good at hunting at night._

_Phoenixes usually lived in mountain ranges, or perhaps in the fey realm. Phoenixes had been created when a fey bird had flown out of the fey realm and into the mortal, undergoing a transformation into a phoenix. Before that, birds in the fey realm had been undefined, just a lump of feathers with wings. When the original bird flew out into the mortal world, the magic in magical Britain had defined it as a phoenix. It had then developed the powers phoenixes had to that day, and lived happily in the Forest of Dean._

_There was a downside to being a phoenix, though. Phoenixes lived a life not unlike that of a mortal that drank unicorn blood. It was a half life, and Phoenixes could not be fully happy until they had bonded with a mortal. That mortal would then be the phoenix's lifeline to the mortal world, and if that mortal died, the phoenix would be sent back to the fey realm and be forced to start over. Luckily, the phoenix could feel it's partner and when they would be born. There was only one mortal that could be their partner, in the timeline and only at once._

_The original phoenix felt this compulsion, and sought out it's connection to its partner. It had to wait for three years, but it connected with him as soon as he came to magical Britain._

_That wizard was Merlin._

_The phoenix that was hunting above the Forbidden Forest had been waiting for eleven years. Suddenly, it felt its partner's gaze. Calling to him, the phoenix soared up higher so as to give it's partner a better view as to where the phoenix was. It's partner's gaze soon left, however, and the phoenix gave out a mournful cry._

_The phoenix felt its partner come out of the castle, and was overjoyed. When it's partner was at the edge of the forest, it soared down with a cry of sheer joy._

_~Present time, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest~_

Harry was grinning, and searching for the source of the noise. He was suddenly dazzled by a flash of light from above him, and shielded his eyes. When the light faded, he looked up and saw a beautiful bird.

The bird was black with flecks of white running down it's back, and Harry suddenly knew with certainty that the bird was a male. That same bird seemed ecstatic at seeing Harry, and flew down to him. The bird landed on a branch slightly above Harry, but within easy reach.

Harry felt spontaneously calm. Looking at the bird, he could've sworn the bird was solemn as well. Harry felt compelled to touch the bird, as if it was his duty.

Slowly reaching out, Harry hesitated to see if the bird would allow it. It examined Harry's hand, and slowly bowed his head. Harry, taking this as a sign of consent, slowly lowered his hand onto the bird's sleek feathers.

Harry felt a shock run up his arm from the bird, and the bird gave squawk and ruffled his feathers. Harry felt no fear of the bird now, and reached out, grabbing the bird gently and pulling it to him.

"Hello, Rush," said Harry happily, and a cry of ecstasy sounded out over the Forest, seeming to originate from the castle.

_~Inside the castle, a few minutes later~_

Harry appeared in the castle, and with a burst of flame Rush appeared beside him. Rush perched on Harry's shoulder and they headed to the headmaster's office. When they got there, however, the gargoyles refused to move.

"Please move?" asked Harry tentatively, and nothing happened. Remembering what Professor McGonnagal had said to get them to move, he said, "Fizzing Whizbees?"

They jumped apart, and Harry and Rush strode triumphantly between them.

At the top of the staircase, Harry gave a slight knock. Hearing nothing, he walked in. He found the portraits, the instruments and everything else in place, the only thing it was missing was an old man and a bird behind the desk. Looking around at the portraits, he asked, "Have any of you seen Professor Dumbledore?"

"How did you get in?" asked an old woman in one of the paintings.

"I was here earlier today, I remembered the password and came in. I need to ask him about Rush," said Harry, and Rush gave a little chirp.

All the portraits gasped, as if seeing the phoenix for the first time. "Is that…?"

"A phoenix," said the old woman. "Dumbledore is in his quarters, I doubt he'll mind if this is your reason for being here."

Harry nodded and went into the door behind the desk. Inside, he found darkness. Feeling around for a light, he heard a ruffle of feathers and the light turned on, revealing Dumbledore standing there, fully dressed with Fawkes in his shoulder. "Hello, Harry."

"Professor Dumbledore! I was looking out the window when I saw a speck, I went to see what it was and when I got there, I met this bird, this phoenix, and I touched it and now it won't leave me. I named it Rush."

Dumbledore took a moment, presumably to translate this rambling nonsense, and said, "Let Fawkes meet Rush, Harry."

As if on cue, Fawkes flew off the headmaster's shoulder. Circling around Harry and Rush, he gave a cry of delight. He flew back to Dumbledore, feathers ruffled and satisfied.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Fawkes likes Rush, Harry. I was sleeping when Fawkes woke me up with a phoenix song. Knowing Fawkes wouldn't wake me up for no reason, I got up and got ready for whatever would come. Imagine my surprise when you came in with a phoenix on your shoulder."

Harry nodded, as if he knew whatever the heck Dumbledore was talking about. "So, Headmaster, what do I do now? Do I treat Rush like an everyday owl? Or like a pet? I was thinking of treating him as a friend that, I don't know, sends messages or letters and all that."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Yes, Harry, do that. Phoenixes are much smarter than owls. Owls may know where to go to deliver a message, but phoenixes can do that and so much more. I will help you and teach you about you and Rush, but for now, I suggest you go back to your dormitory. "It is very late and you should not be out this late. If you come across a prefect or Filch, just tell them you came from my office."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Professor."

"No problem, Harry. I do enjoy meeting new phoenixes."

Harry grinned and walked out. On the spiral staircase, he shadow traveled to the top of the Ravenclaw tower. Rush appeared beside him, and they walked up to the door knocker.

"Where do phoenixes go when they flame travel?"

Harry laughed. "Where they mean to. Duh."

Harry could've sworn the door knocker smiled as well as it said, "Of course," and opened.

Harry walked up to his room with Rush, feeling very happy. Up at his dormitory, he found the rest of the boys sleeping, and crept over to his bed. He laid down in his bed, but was distracted by a flash of white.

Turning toward the flash, he found Rush hovering over his nightstand, and as he watched, a golden perch slowly rose up as if it was made of light. When it was finished, it looked remarkably like Fawkes' perch in Dumbledore's office.

Reminding himself to ask Dumbledore about it tomorrow, Harry rolled over and fell asleep.

_~The next day, Harry's dormitory~_

Harry woke up to a voices talking beside his bed. Turning, he found Michael and Terry crowded around Rush, and Anthony hanging back a bit but looking no less impressed.

"What is it?" asked Michael.

"A phoenix! Do you think it chose Harry when he left last night?" answered Terry.

"No way. A phoenix wouldn't choose Potter." said Anthony nastily.

"Then how come it's perched beside his bed? And why would it be here if it didn't?" said Terry, looking a bit annoyed.

"Maybe it chose one of us."

Michael laughed. "I may be Muggleborn, but I doubt it would come up to us as we are sleeping, choose us, and then just decide to go perch beside Harry."

Anthony had no answer for that, so he just scowled and walked down to the common room.

Harry looked up at Michael and Terry and said, "Thanks. Goldstein won't get over yesterday."

Terry smiled and shrugged. "No problem." He turned to Rush. "Did it choose you last night?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah. His name is Rush."

"Cool!" said Michael. "Where'd you get the perch?"

"I didn't, Rush made it last night. I want to ask Dumbledore about it later."

After a few more questions, Michael and Terry headed down to the common room. Harry turned to Rush and said, 'I wonder when they were awake."

Rush started to preen his feathers. Harry laughed and got dressed, and when he started down to the common room. Rush immediately flew over to him and perched on his shoulder, and they went down the stairs.

When they got there, Harry found out MIchael and Terry had been telling everyone about Rush. They were mobbed by the other students, all asking questions and trying to pet Rush. Rush tolerated a few, but when they got a bit too rough, he would snap at them.

When the students had slowed down a bit, Hermione and Padma came up to them. "Hey Harry." said Padma.

"Hi," said Hermione, looking at Rush. "Can I pet your phoenix?"

"You can try, but rush was just mobbed by all the other students, so he might be a bit apprehensive."

Hermione reached out tentatively, and after a few moments of waiting to see if Rush would bite her, she lowered her hand to his head. Rush ruffled his feathers and trilled, and Harry felt a wave of content come from the bird. He grinned, guessing that this was a phoenix thing.

Padma pet him as well, with no trouble. When they got that out of the way, Hermione asked, "Harry, when did he choose you? Did he fly in to your dormitory?"

"No, I went out to meet him. I just felt the need to go see the black speck I saw above the Forest."

Hermione looked horrified. "You went out past curfew?"

"I didn't have a choice, Hermione. I didn't even realise where I was until I was at the edge of the Forest," said Harry, a bit annoyed that she didn't understand this.

"Alright… if you didn't realise," said Hermione.

"Harry, do you even know anything about phoenixes?" asked Padma.

"No, I'm going to go to the library after lunch. Want to come?"

"Sure!" said Hermione, then blushed as Padma raised an eyebrow at her. Harry missed this however, he was stroking Rush. The phoenix had its eyes closed, and Harry smiled as Rush purred not unlike a cat.

Harry looked up at them. "Want to head down to breakfast?"

"Yeah, let's go," said Padma, and the three went down to the Great Hall.

When there, Ron came over, along with Susan and Neville. "Harry, what did you name your phoenix?" asked Neville.

"Rush. Rush, this is Neville, Ron and Susan," said Harry jokingly. Turning back to them, he said, "I saw him above the Forbidden Forest last night, and I went out to see what it was. It flew around me, and when I touched him, there was this big flash of light and then he wouldn't leave."

"Bloody hell, Harry, you just saw something and just decided to go check it out?" said Ron.

"Well, I didn't exactly mean to go see it. I was in some kind of trance, and when I came back to myself, I was at the Forest."

"Cool!" exclaimed Neville. "You should ask Dumbledore about it. I heard he had a phoenix."

"He does, and I went up to his office last night. He said he'd explain stuff to me today. Me and Hermione and Padma are going to the library to look up phoenixes, want to come?"

"I'll go," said Susan.

"Sure, just let me run up to the Gryffindor tower for my bookbag," replied Neville.

"I still have a ton of homework. I'll just meet you after lunch," said Ron.

Harry grinned. "Sure Ron, you do that. Let me know how much 'homework' you get done."

Ron grinned sheepishly, and went back to the Gryffindor table with Neville. Susan went back to the Hufflepuff table, and Harry went back to eating.

_~In the MacLeod mansion, the previous night~_

Crowley was finishing up with a demon deal in New York, when he felt a change in the wards around his house. Cutting off the deal, he traveled over in time to see a multicolored shield grow over his mansion.

As he watched, the shield was slowly swallowed by tendrils of darkness. Crowley hesitantly reached through. When nothing happened, he ran into the house.

"Lily!" he called. "Lily, where are you?"

"I'm here!" she replied, running out of their bedroom. "Did you see that?"

"Yes. I don't know what it was, but it was eaten by something dark. Whatever it was, I think the wards held it off."

Lily looked out the window again. Seeing nothing, she looked back at him. "If it didn't do anything to you, I don't think it does anything bad. Let's just leave it for now, alright?"

Crowley was a bit troubled about leaving a strange ward in place over his house, but he agreed. "Alright, Lily, but at the first sign of trouble, we're moving to a different house. Got it?"

"Yes, dear."

Crowley slowly let a breath out, and pulled her into a hug.

**Well, that wraps up this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. For my reviews:**

**Sakura Lisel: Ok. This is going to be a lengthy answer, so people who thought the same thing as me, just skip this one.**

**Voldemort attempted to kill Harry the same time as in canon, and I did this on purpose. The Order of the Phoenix was still operating, even if James and Lily were gone. Everybody assumed Voldy did it, but obviously, that's not the case. And if you guys remember, Voldemort wasn't the one that killed Neville's parents. That was Bellatrix. As for Neville being the supposed Boy-Who-Lived, that's easy. The prophecy said a kid that was born on July 31st, and as far as Dumbledore knew, that was Neville. Couple that with the fact that Neville's parents were killed, and it seemed obvious it was Neville that killed Voldemort.**

**Silver Dragonflymoon: Thank you.**

**Ana Luisa: ****Gracias, no sé lo que pensaste que era canon, pero no será lo mismo por mucho tiempo. Harry será un buen amigo de Neville, y lo ayudará con este negocio de Boy-Who-Lived.**

**Thank you! See you guys next chapter, Gridline **_**out.**_


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_~In the Great Hall, at Breakfast~_

Harry was finishing his eggs with Hermione. The Ravenclaws had Defense Against the Dark Arts soon, and they didn't want to be late. Harry was looking forward to seeing demons from a wizard's perspective.

As they were walking out, a voice rang out behind them. "Potter!"

Turning, Harry found Malfoy and his two henchmen. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"You challenged me to a wizard's duel. How about at midnight, tonight?"

Harry laughed. "Why? How about we just do it tomorrow at lunch?"

"I don't think you want to be expelled just yet, Potter. Sending curses flying at the castle will draw some attention," sneered Malfoy.

"What's the matter, Potter?" said another voice. Harry turned to find Anthony scowling at him from the stairs. Rush squawked. "What, you get a phoenix and you think you're too good to fight?" He took a step closer. "Or not good enough?"

Hermione took a step closer to Harry. This was going to get ugly fast.

Malfoy looked a bit taken aback, but then he grinned. "Even your own housemate hates you. Are you depressed yet?"

"I won't get depressed if I have you two dumbasses trying to insult me," shot back Harry. "Really, Malfoy, you're cute when you're mad."

Malfoy was about to pull out his wand, when Harry Disarmed him. "Ah-ah-ah, Malfoy. And don't even think about it, Goldstein. That can wait for tomorrow at lunch, if you two are brave enough. And I don't want to meet you at night because you two could set up a trap easily. There will be plenty of witnesses, so they can tell the winner if the fight was fair or not."

Malfoy was looking a bit nervous. Anthony was looking a bit green, and took a step back.

Harry walked out of the Entrance Hall, head held high.

_~Later, outside Professor Quirrel's classroom~_

"Harry!" hissed Hermione, pulling him into an alcove. "What was that about? Malfoy and Goldstein won't hesitate at the chance to send curses and gorillas at you! What were you thinking? You could end up in the infirmary, or worse, expelled."

Harry was amused. "You think getting kicked out of Hogwarts is worse than ending up in the hospital?" He waved his hand. "Whatever. Hermione, my mum told me about how her high school boyfriend once was challenged to a duel by a kid, and the Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, oversaw it. If I can get Professor Flitwick to agree to supervise the duel, I won't get kicked out, and Malfoy and Goldstein will have to obey the rules."

Hermione sagged against the wall, which resulted in her knee being pressed into Harry. She noticed their position, now; When she had pulled him into the alcove, they had been pressed against each other. Now, with Harry smiling down at her, she felt her knees go weak. Not really wanting their position to change, she said, "But you didn't set any rules. Technically, according to Berry Biddle's Guide to Dueling, Malfoy could do anything he wanted and he wouldn't get in trouble."

Harry stared at her. "Berry Biddle? That's a name?" Thoroughly confused, he continued. "Whatever. Hermione, I'll just work out the rules with Malfoy before the duel. Anthony too, if he shows up."

Hermione really couldn't argue with his logic, so she just followed him into Quirrell's classroom.

Inside, Harry looked around. He saw nothing really bad, except for a picture of a banshee on the left wall. Banshees could be reasonable, as long as you didn't kill on their territory. They were good warriors, too; Harry's dad had a legion of them in Hell.

Seating himself in the back of the class, with Hermione beside him, he waited with the other students. Soon, a man with a turban, presumably Professor Quirrell, walked in. Turning to the class, he slowly turned back and wrote on the blackboard, "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Looking back at the class, he said, "I w-will teach you o-of the Def-fense that can be used in DADA. You will not learn any th-theory, unless that is important to the subject w-we will be researching. Take out y-your wands, and I will teach you the J-Jelly Jinx. This jinx will be used to perfect your aim."

Harry sighed. He had been practicing with his wand ever since him and his mother had gone shopping in Magik's Emporium. He pulled it out and ran a hand over it fondly. Apparently, the core, phoenix feather entwined with thestral hair, was imported from Britain. He looked at Rush and grinned, stroking the phoenix's feathers.

Turning back to the rest of the class, he saw they were practicing the wand movement. He easily replicated the Professor's movements, a sharp jab followed by a slight twirl.

The Professor took notice of this, and said, "Well done, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Ravenclaw."

Harry smiled, and kept jabbing and twirling. It felt a bit silly, but soon the class was past that and they moved on to the incantation.

"Good, s-students. Now, p-pair up, and go to opposite ends of the room. You w-will be aiming at your partner, trying to hit in th-the chest. Go."

Harry looked at Hermione, and she smiled in answer. They went to the different sides, and got into a ready stance.

"Think you can take me, Hermione?" asked Harry cockily.

Hermione just grinned and raised her wand. Overconfidence would cost him.

"Ready."

Harry looked to either side of him. Padma was paired with Michael Corner, and a girl Harry didn't recognize was paired with Anthony.

"S-set."

Harry turned back to Hermione, relaxed. Tensing up wouldn't help him in a fight.

"Fire!"

Professor Quirrel's voice seemed to have lost all quiver in it, as blobs of multicolored jelly flew through the room. Harry was soon splattered with it, as was Hermione. They were both laughing, and just kept sending it through the air, and applying multiple coats.

After a good ten seconds, Quirrel yelled, "Stop!" and with a few groans, the students ceased. "That was good. Now, I will look through you, and whoever has the most jelly on you, your partner will get a reward."

Harry compared himself with Hermione. He had only slightly less than her, and only because on one of her shots her jelly had collided with a particularly bad shot by Michael.

It was soon apparent that it was either Harry or Hermione, and the class turned to see who the Professor chose.

He walked in between them, and looked at Harry. He examined him, and Harry felt uncomfortable under the man's gaze. Quirrel looked as if he were examining a prime rib. Quirrel turned to Hermione then, and examined her. Soon, he turned to the rest of the class. "Harry Potter is the winner."

Harry grinned as the rest of the class started clapping, albeit a bit enviously. He turned to Hermione and shrugged, and mouthed the words _I'll share,_ to her. She smiled.

"Mr. Potter, I w-watched you during the class, and you showed exemplary marksmanship. As y-your reward, you get one bottle of F-felix Felicis."

Some of the class gasped, as did Hermione. Harry just raised an eyebrow, and held out a hand to the Professor. Quirrel gave him a small vial, and Harry looked into it. There he saw a golden concoction, and it looked surprisingly appetising.

"This is a bottle of liquid luck, to those of y-you who do not know what it is," said the Professor. "Drink it, and you will be extremely lucky f-for the next few hours."

Harry nodded, and stashed it in his pocket.

"Now, back to your seats."

Harry and Hermione went back to their seats, and Hermione said, "Harry! That potion takes six months to brew-what are you going to use it for?"

"No idea," he replied. Rush trilled. "I'll just keep it in my trunk for now."

Hermione nodded, and they turned back to the class.

_~In the Great Hall, at lunch~_

"Harry!"

Harry looked up from his sandwich, searching for the voice. He absentmindedly fed Rush a piece of roast beef.

"Harry."

Harry turned to look behind him to find Ron and Hermione, Neville and Susan. His eyebrows furrowed. "Yes?"

Ron stepped forward. "Harry, is it true that you challenged Malfoy and Goldstein to a duel?"

Harry grinned. "Is that what this is about? Yes, I challenged them. Someone has to put them in their place, and it might as well be me."

Ron and Neville grinned with him, and Neville said, "I'm with you, Harry."

Harry smiled at him, but Hermione and Susan didn't look ready to just let it go. "Harry, it's two of them and one of you!" said Hermione frantically. She was not about to let Harry hurt himself over two bullies.

"Harry, come on. Do you really think Malfoy and Goldstein will fight fair?" said Susan skeptically.

"With as many students that will be there? Yes, yes I do," said Harry, a bit annoyed. "Not to mention Professor Flitwick. I asked him, and he said he would oversee the match."

Ron and Neville high-fived him. Hermione and Susan sighed. _Boys,_ they thought.

Harry stood up. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go research phoenixes."

Hermione grabbed her bag, and followed him. Susan went with them, and Neville ran over to the Gryffindor table with Ron. Neville went out the door, and Ron sat down to continue eating his sandwich.

_~That night, in the Entrance Hall~_

Harry was walking back to the Ravenclaw tower. They had not found much about phoenixes, just their history and where they liked to live when they were not bonded. He turned a corner, and immediately whirled back around it. Malfoy was there, talking to two other Slyhterins.

"I won't be able to defeat Potter. He's really bloody strong, and good with his wand. I need you to blast him in the back. Don't let anyone see. You understand me?" The two Slytherins nodded, and left. Malfoy started to go toward the Ravenclaw tower, and Harry followed.

Malfoy was at the bottom of the staircase when he stopped to talk to someone. Harry couldn't make out who it was, so he shadow-traveled to the staircase. There, he made out that it was Goldstein.

"Did you do it?" hissed Anthony.

"Yes, I did it. Crabbe and Goyle are going to hit Potter in the back."

Harry just shook his head. He didn't need to hear anymore, so he went up to the common room. Rush appeared beside him in a flash of flame, and perched on his shoulder.

After answering a riddle, Harry went into his dorm, and went to bed, Rush flying over to his perch as he did so. He heard Goldstein go in a few minutes later, and Harry smiled into his pillow. Boy, were they in for a surprise tomorrow.

_~The next morning, the Great Hall~_

Harry came down to breakfast. By now, most of the school knew about Harry's and Malfoy's and Goldstein's duel, and everyone was whispering about it behind their hands.

"Harry!" said Ron, running up to him. "I'm taking bets on the duel. Most people think you will win, but some think Malfoy and Goldstein will pull something off-guard."

Harry shrugged. "Then we better get ready to get rich, eh?"

Ron grinned and went back to the Gryffindor table. Harry went and sat in his usual seat, and Roger Davies looked down the table and said, "Harry, don't duel them. They are from magical families, and no doubt Malfoy's father let him practice before Hogwarts."

"How do you know I'm not from a magical family?" asked Harry. He wasn't mad, he honestly liked Roger.

"Well, what are you?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm a half-blood."

Roger nodded.

A black haired Ravenclaw, Harry recognized her as Cho from the train, said, "Harry, Malfoy is probably going to get help. If you're really going to go through with this, you'll need to be on full alert."

Harry nodded. "I know, Cho, I already asked Ron and Neville to look through the crowd for Slytherins that will be trying to take me down."

Cho bit her lip, but she sat back in her seat and let it go.

Hermione rushed up with a book the size of a dictionary. "Harry, you can call it off! I found a loophole that lets you call it off, if it's within twenty-four hours!"

Harry smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hermione, I don't want to call it off. I'm showing Malfoy and Goldstein that they can't just do whatever they want."

"Who cares? You could get hurt, Harry!" she said, as if he didn't know that.

Harry stood up and hugged her. "I won't, Hermione. Just let it go, I have a plan."

Hermione sat beside him, a bit closer than usual.

Harry got up to go to his classes, and Hermione went with him. Ron and Neville fellin behind them, and Susan and Cho behind them. Harry had never felt better than when he was surrounded by his friends, ready to go to war with him.

_~At lunch, on the grounds~_

Harry walked out to almost the whole school waiting for him and his opponents. Looking around, he didn't see Goldstein and Malfoy.

Hermione came up to him out of the crowd. "Neville and Ron are already looking. Do you remember the stunner spell I showed you?" Harry nodded, and Hermione said, "Good. Use that as fast as you can."

"Hermione, I'll be fine. I've trained before, have you never seen me in the morning?"

She looked a bit confused. "The morning?"

"Harry grinned. "I'll tell you later." He turned to Rush. "I want you out of here. A stray spell could hit you."

Rush trilled, and flew off toward the castle.

"Potter!"

Harry turned toward the voice. Malfoy was standing there, with Goldstein a bit behind him. Harry smirked. Malfoy may make a better entrance than him, but nobody would remember that when him and Goldstein were bleeding on the floor.

"Hey, guys! You ready to get this party started?" he called, and winked. Goldstein visibly gulped, but Malfoy had a better poker face.

"Only if it ends with you begging me for mercy," growled Malfoy.

"Now, now, none of that, please!" said a squeaky voice from the crowd. Harry turned to see Professor Flitwick pushing through to them, and Harry walked over.

"Thanks for coming, sir," said Harry.

"Oh, it's fine, my boy," replied Flitwick happily. "Now, work out the rules for this duel."

Harry turned to Malfoy and Goldstein. "So, I duel you two, and no interference from the crowd. Right?" said Harry. They nodded, and he said, "First blood or when one side is unconscious." He turned to Flitwick. "We're ready, sir."

Flitwick smiled, and turned to the crowd. "No interference, please!"

There was a murmur of assent from them, and Flitwick turned back to the duelers. Flicking his wand, he made a platform for them to duel on.

Harry turned to them, and bowed. "Best of luck to you both," he said, and walked to the other side of the platform. Turning, he bent his knees, held his wand in front of him, and kept his eyes on his opponents. He felt his knife in his pocket for extra assurance, and nodded to the Professor.

When Malfoy and Anthony had nodded as well, the Professor waved his wand and said, "Begin!"

Anthony and Malfoy sent two bolts toward Harry. Harry dodged one, and shielded from the other. "STUPEFY!" he yelled, and a ray of red light flew towards Malfoy. He rolled, and popped up, yelling, "TARANTALLEGRA!"

Harry whirled, hearing a small zapping from the bolt. He turned to Malfoy. _That was too close._

_~In the crowd~_

Neville and Ron were searching through the crowd for the Slytherins. Harry had warned them that there would be at least an attempt, and Ron was pretty sure it would come from Malfoy's thugs, Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron saw them, and called Neville. Neville ran over, as fast as he could in the crowd, and got ready with Ron.

Seeing Goyle raising his wand, Ron threw a curse at him. "_Eat slugs, Goyle!"_ A Ravenclaw walked in front though, and took the spell. Goyle heard him, and seeing a vomiting girl and Ron apologizing, put two and two together.

"Ron!" yelled Neville, warning him of the charging Slytherin. Ron turned, and seeing Goyle, tensed for the impact. Neville ran in front, however, and punched Goyle in the jaw. Goyle was turned off course, and stumbled into the crowd.

"_Oi!"_ shouted Crabbe. He tackled Neville, and Ron tried to pull him off. A few Ravenclaws, guessing what had happened, ran over to help.

Crabbe was under about five Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, as far as he could tell, and heard the Slytherins yelling and cursing, trying to defend their own.

Hermione turned to see a full-out riot between the Ravenclaws and Slytherins, and saw Ron and Neville in the middle. Pushing through, and ducking under a Slytherin's punch she yelled over the increasing volume of cries of pain, along with shouts of rage, "Ron! What happened?!"

Ron answered while punching a Slytherin in the gut. "Me and Neville were stopping Goyle from taking a shot at Harry! We had Crabbe to deal with, and the Slytherins came in! Ravenclaws came to help, and now we're in the thick of it!"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but was tackled by Padma, who had seen the Slytherin girl behind her. Padma got up and cast a Stinging Hex, and ran off into the fight.

_~Back on the platform~_

Harry deflected yet another curse from Malfoy. Goldstein had gone down a while ago, but Harry hadn't taken the curse he had expected. Hearing yelling behind him, he took a quick look. Slytherins and Ravenclaws were fighting, spells and fists were flying. Gaping in horror, Harry barely managed to stop a curse from Malfoy.

"Malfoy! We need to stop this!" he yelled.

"Nice try, Potter! You're not getting away!" shouted Malfoy, who unleashed a volley of curses. Harry deflected them all but one. That one got him in the shoulder, and Harry was suddenly frozen. _That's it,_ he thought angrily. Summoning a spirit, he commanded it to knock out Malfoy.

The wraith turned to the boy, who had gone white. Malfoy turned to run, but the wraith struck him in the back, and he went flying into the riot.

Harry found himself unstuck, and jumped into the fray.

He couldn't see five feet in front of him, but he pushed through anyway. He managed to stay upright by striking students in the temple and casting Stunners, but even then he couldn't stop the fight. He started sending out wave after wave of calm, and though the fight slowed a bit, it didn't stop.

He found Neville, who had a black eye and split lip. He was evading Crabbe, who seemed intent on crushing the little cockroach.

Harry came up to Crabbe, and grabbing his fist, threw him into a group of Slytherins. Turning to Neville, who was resting his hands on his knees, he said, "We need to stop this."

Neville nodded. "We can't though. I spread it through the Ravenclaws, but the Slytherins are too angry to let it go by now. The Ravenclaws are trying to only fight in self-defense, but doing that only causes them to drop like flies. The only ones I know are still conscious are Ron, Padma, Roger and Cho."

Harry felt cold shoot through his body. "Hermione?"

Neville shook his head. "I saw her fall."

Harry turned to a Slytherin. He had no choice. Taking out his knife, he sliced a cut onto the boy's arm. Crying out in pain, the boy fell to his knees, and Harry struck his temple the Slytherin fell, and Harry ran to where he could see Ron.

Ron cut down another Slytherin, and saw Harry. "Harry! Harry, we need to get a Professor! Flitwick fell when he froze a group of Slytherins; one managed to fall onto him."

Harry nodded, and punched a Slytherin in the nose. With a sickening crunch, the girl fell, and Harry ran to Padma. Cutting down the Slytherins around her, he turned and said, "Padma, get to the castle. Get every Professor you can find, and get Madam Pomfrey."

She grimaced, and ran off, limping a bit. He turned back to the field, and saw that the biggest group was around Roger. He was fending off five Slytherins by himself, but he was wearing out fast. Harry ran over and bowled through them, and he and Roger finished them off.

"Harry, get your friends and bring them here. I assume you sent one to the castle?" Harry nodded, and Roger raised his wand. "Good. Bring them to me."

Harry went and grabbed Ron and Cho. "Get to Roger," he yelled, and they nodded. Cho had a cut on her leg, and Ron's fingers were bloody. They ran off, and Harry turned. Scanning the field, he saw neville, but as he watched, Neville fell. The Slytherins jumped to him, and started kicking and punching the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry sprinted down to them, and jumped onto the biggest one. Swinging his body, with his legs wrapped around the Slytherin's neck, Harry pulled the boy over to his friends. Harry used the boy as a steed as he punched, clawed, and knifed, trying to protect the boy on the ground.

When they were gone, Harry pulled the boy, who had been getting slightly red at Harry strangling him, down to the ground. Rushing over to Neville, Harry checked for a pulse. Neville would live, but it would be a miracle if he didn't have a few scars.

Harry turned to see how Roger and the others were doing, and saw they had just pushed down the last Slytherin. The grounds were littered with bodies, wearing green and blue robes, mixed with red and yellow. Only a few students had tried to stay out of the riot, but they had been pulled in anyway when the fight had progressed further.

Harry fell to his knees. He had caused all of the school except for four people to fall unconscious. Roger limped over with Ron and Cho, and put an arm around his shoulders. "This wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was," said Harry bitterly. He was looking for someone, but couldn't find her among the hundreds of bodies.

"No, it wasn't," said Cho, hugging him. "You were only trying to help. It was Malfoy's fault, for trying to cheat in the duel."

"Yeah, mate, me and Neville were only stopping them. The Slytherins are the ones to blame," said Ron, squatting down beside Harry. "You really couldn't have done anything to stop it."

_Oh, yes I could've,_ Harry thought. _I could've used demons, or spirits, or anything like that to stop this. But I was too afraid of being exposed._

"WHAT THE _HELL_ HAPPENED HERE?!"

Harry turned to see the Professors gaping in horror at the fields, but McGonnagal had eyes only for the four people still standing.

Harry stood up straight. This would take some explaining.

**Wow, can you believe that chapter? I meant for it to be quick, not a freaking bloodbath. I'm telling you, this story has a mind of its own. This has to be the longest chapter I've done.**

**For my one review: **

**Ana Luisa: Las películas eran buenas, pero me gustaron más los libros. Leí el primer libro cuando tenía cinco años.**

**Thank you! Review and follow! Gridline **_**out!**_

_**Edit: **_**I'm going to be on a camping trip this weekend. So the next chapter will be a bit late. This chapter is really long, though, so you guys should be occupied.**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_~On the grounds, after Harry's and Malfoy's duel~_

Harry watched as the Professors walked among the bodies, prioritizing the worst cases and waking up the ones that had fainted or fallen unconscious. He would be helping, but there was an angry old woman in his way.

"I hope you have a _very_ good explanation for what happened here, Mr. Potter! Or you will be expelled in _thirty seconds!"_

Now, Harry felt that the battle was his fault, but he wouldn't be able to apologize and help the students if he told Professor McGonnagal that. "Professor, I was dueling Malfoy when this happened. Professor Flitwick was overseeing it, but he was knocked unconscious in the battle. I finished the duel, knocking out Malfoy, and turned to help end the fight. I was the one that sent Padma to get the Professors."

"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, I fail to see how this fight could have started without interference from you."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, watching a group of Hufflepuffs tramp off to the castle. He didn't see Susan among them. "I asked Ron and Neville to look through the crowd, to check for Slytherins that would shoot me in the back. When they found the two, they tried to help, but Ravenclaws and Slytherins both rushed to defend their own."

Ron, who had been sitting quietly behind Harry with the other two that had managed to stay standing, said, "It's true, Professor. Me and Neville found Goyle about to shoot Harry, and I tried to stop him. One thing led to another, and soon the whole school was sucked in."

Professor McGonnagal was looking increasingly confused, so she turned to the Ravenclaw prefect. "Mr. Davies, anything to insert?"

Roger looked up from the field and said, "Only that Harry couldn't have caused all this by himself if he tried. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin all started fighting at the same time, and pulled the Hufflepuffs into it. If it was anyone's fault, I would say it was Malfoy's, if only because he was trying to defeat Harry, and Harry was just trying to keep the fight fair."

McGonnagal nodded. She didn't know what to believe anymore, so she said, "All four of you, go to the castle. We will decide what to do later."

"With all due respect, Professor," interrupted Harry, "I would like to help with the wounded."

The other three nodded in agreement.

McGonnagal sighed and waved them off. Harry immediately ran to the field to see what damage had been done. He found students he knew, students he didn't, students that were in his House, and Gryffindors and Slytherins. He felt no anger at Slytherin, they had not known the full story, and were just trying to protect Crabbe and Goyle.

As he was walking, he heard a gasp a few feet away from him. Turning, he saw Hermione.

He ran to her and pulled her close. "I'm so, so sorry, Hermione. You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen, I wanted to fight them, and it all went wrong-"

"Shhh…" she said, pressing a finger to his lips. "You couldn't have seen this coming, Harry. Nobody could've." She struggled up to sit beside him, still leaning on him for support. "Harry, how are our friends?"

"The only ones that were conscious when it ended were Ron, Cho and Roger."

Hermione nodded, as if she had been expecting the worst and was surprised with what she got. "Harry, I want you to promise me something."

Harry looked at her and nodded. "Anything, Hermione."

She reached and took his hand. Even when she had cuts and bruises all over her body, she was still thrilled to be holding his hand. His skin was cool to the touch, but she could feel that he was trembling with fear, guilt and anger. "I need you to not blame yourself."

Harry bowed his head. "Hermione, how can I not? I was the one who sent Ron and Neville at Crabbe and Goyle, all because I-"

Harry's voice hitched and he realised he _couldn't_ tell her why it was his fault. He hadn't wanted to be exposed as a Prince of Hell, and had just told Ron and Neville, two boys who trusted him, obviously with their lives, to go and start a war.

And now he was lying to Hermione yet again. He looked at her tear-stained face, covered in dirt and blood, and realised that if he didn't tell her and she found out, their friendship would be gone forever. He couldn't bear the thought.

He grabbed both of her hands and held them close. Hermione looked a bit confused but didn't pull away, so Harry continued. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I lied to you. I need to talk to someone, let everyone know from me that I'm sorry to them as well."

Hermione was getting even more confused. As best as she could tell, Harry was leaving, and she couldn't let that happen. "Harry, where are you going?"

"Like I said, I need to talk to someone. If I can, I'll come back. If not, then please, don't follow me."

Hermione tried to hang on, but Harry pulled away and called Rush. The phoenix flew out of a window on the Ravenclaw tower, and Harry reached up. The moment Harry's skin made contact with Rush's talons, he vanished in a column of flames.

Hermione screamed and reached out, but the flames dwindled out before she could reach them. The fire had attracted the attention of the students and Professors alike, but Hermione didn't care. She curled up, and didn't notice when Roger and Ron walked over and tried to ask what had happened. She just watched the spot where she had last seen Harry, tears tracking down her face.

_~In the MacLeod Mansion, a few minutes after Harry had disappeared~_

Harry appeared in the front yard of his house, and collapsed. Rush was with him, but the bird perched on his arm and trilled tiredly.

Crowley heard the flames, and the bird, and went out to see what it was. The wards should've warned him when something came through. When he saw his son, with a black phoenix perched on his lifeless body, he called Alfie and Rowle, one of his guards. They helped carry Harry into the house, with the phoenix crouching low and cawing at them if it saw something it didn't like.

When Lily saw the condition of Harry, she didn't yell or get in the way. She had lived with Crowley, and she had seen far worse on him and Harry. She just cleared off the table, and the demons and the elf laid him down.

When Harry came to, he was surrounded by demons, some he knew, some he didn't, all speculating about what had happened. Rush was sitting on Harry's chest, hissing at them if they came too close.

After Harry had flame-traveled with Rush to Washington D. C. (Rush was much older and much more powerful, therefore he could travel farther), Harry had shadow traveled them to his house. Rush had looked amazing in Hell; his white markings had turned luminescent green, and the end result was a blackbird with green spirals on his wings.

Harry had noticed something about his own skin. There were black tattoos all over his arms, and one, on his right hand, showed him taking down hordes of humans with his knife. Harry was pretty sure Hell saw that as his first successful battle, and the thought put a sick feeling in his stomach.

One of the demons noticed he was awake, and shooed the rest away. Harry recognized him as Rowle, his father's most trusted, aside from Lily. "Hello, Harry," said Rowle. He had been polite to Harry, ever since he had met him.

"Hello, Rowle. Where are my mother and father?"

"They are in conference, trying to figure out what happened to you, and wondering why you are back from school so soon. Why _are_ you, Harry?" Rowle leaned in a bit closer. "Something to do with you being a cambion?"

"Something like that," muttered Harry. He looked up into Rowle's black eyes and said, "Go get my father, please, Rowle."

Rowle bowed and left the room. Harry sat up, a bit tired but unharmed. Rush cooed softly, and Harry stroked him.

Lily and Crowley ran into the room, and Lily wrapped her arms around Harry. Harry leaned into her, and closed his eyes. It was nice to be near someone who knew what he was. Crowley hung back, and when Lily was done, he said, "Harry, what are you doing back from Hogwarts?"

Harry looked away. "I did something, Dad. Something I can't walk away from."

Crowley looked a bit taken aback. "Did you kill a student?"

Harry looked up, and Crowley could see the anguish in his green eyes. "Not that I know of. But there's still time."

That comment alone was what let Crowley know that something had happened to his son. His eyes turned red, and he turned to head outside, beckoning three other demons. He was going to go to Hogwarts and tear apart the teachers, students, and everyone else until he found out what had happened to Harry.

The only reason he wasn't already gone was because he heard Harry's voice calling him. "Dad. It wasn't their fault, it was mine."

Crowley turned back to the table and said, "Harry, what happened?"

"I started a civil war, Dad. I challenged a bully to a duel, ignoring my friend's warnings, and then added another kid into it. Then, just to add to the pot, I asked two of my friends to go into the crowd to watch for the cheating I knew would come. Then, when the battle started, I didn't stop it with demons or spirits. I called my friends, and we charged in, hurting more and letting more get hurt."

Harry's eyes filled with tears. "At the end, there were only four students left standing. Me, two of my friends, and a prefect that was only fighting in self-defense."

Lily reached out to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Harry, that wasn't your fault. That kid? That you knew was going to cheat? It's his fault. And you can't feel guilty for not revealing yourself. That was a good call, because then the students would have gotten scared and run, and the demons, or spirits, would have killed them all." She looked at him closely. "Did you kill anyone, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I had to use my knife, but I aimed for arms and legs. I don't think I mortally wounded anyone, but it was an honest-to-Lucifer battle, Mom. There could have been a freaking angel in there, smiting them all, and I wouldn't have noticed."

Crowley put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, you are better at battle than my strongest legion. You could hold your own against most of the angels in Heaven. If you don't think you hurt anyone that bad, you didn't hurt anyone that bad."

Harry nodded, and continued petting Rush.

Crowley looked at the bird, and said, "You want to explain that?"

At his father's question, Harry smiled for the first time that night. "This is Rush. I saw him over the forest one night and went to see him, and we bonded. That's how I got here so fast. Rush flame-traveled me to Washington D. C., and I shadow-traveled us the rest of the way."

Crowley now understood why Harry had collapsed when he had gotten here. Crowley had helped Harry shadow-travel to Hogwarts, and even then Harry had been staggeringly tired.

Lily, however, just asked, "Wait, a phoenix can shadow-travel?"

Harry nodded, smiling a bit. "Yes, if it's side-along traveling. Rush looked pretty cool in Hell, actually; he had green markings all over his body and wings."

Harry was feeling a lot better, just being around his family had helped a lot. "Dad, Mum, I need to head back to Hogwarts. They don't know where I went."

Lily looked a bit alarmed, and she was about to tell him off when Crowley said, "Lily," and gave her a warning look. Lily sat back, a bit put out.

"We can get Harry there within the next half-hour, if you need us to," said Rowle, looking at Crowley.

Harry nodded, and sat up. "Let's do that. Sikes, message a demon in Portugal. They're going to escort me to Scotland." Sikes, a heavyset man with dark hair, nodded and walked out, presumably to kill a human for the message. Harry turned to Rowle. "You will escort me to D. C., so I need you to send a demon to prepare another to get me to Portugal."

Crowley watched as Rowle bowed, and he couldn't help but feel pride for his son. Harry had instilled a sense of command into the demons, and that was no small feat, considering the fact that demons would stab anyone in the back, if it would help themselves.

Harry slid his legs to the edge of the table. Testing his legs to see if they would support him, he slowly stood. His knees wobbled, but he managed to stay upright, so he walked up to his room.

When there, he went to his dresser. In the middle drawer, he grabbed an angel blade. He then searched through his nightstand, before finding a vial of dirt from Purgatory. It would be a good bargaining tool, if what he was planning worked.

Tramping down the stairs, he found Rowle waiting for him. He raised a finger to him, and went to his parents. Harry wrapped his arms around Lily, then Crowley. "Thank you, Mum, Dad. I needed to be around someone who knew what I was."

Lily's eyes crinkled up, and she smiled. "Harry, that's what we do. It's good to know that you appreciate us, though."

Harry smiled at her, then turned to his father. "Dad, I want to tell someone at school what I am. I hate to lie to her, and I've already lied to her before. Is that ok?"

Crowley smiled, and said, "Harry, I don't know her. Judge for yourself, and if you think she is trustworthy, then go ahead and tell her everything."

Harry nodded. Turning back to Rowle, he said, "Let's go."

Rowle nodded and grabbed Harry's arm. Harry looked back at his parents, and got a brief glimpse of them waving, before being whisked away to Hell.

_~Back in Hogwarts, somewhere in the early morning~_

Harry appeared on the grounds, landing in a patch of blood. Unaffected, he turned back to the exhausted demon, and said, "Go to the nearest town. Get yourself a room and food, then tell my dad your name. Unless he's in a particularly bad mood, he'll probably promote you."

He looked pleased at the prospect, and walked off. Harry turned back to the castle, and sprouted claws, along with a tail and snout. Snarling, he ran at the tower and sprang up. He then dug his claws into the crevices in the wall, and started pulling himself up.

When he reached his dorm window, he was well and thoroughly wiped out. He stood, and looked around to make sure nobody had seen him.

Noone had seen him, but that was only because they were all lying in their beds, covered in bandages. Michael had a bandage around his eye and hand, while Terry had a cast around his leg. Anthony seemed to have gotten hit the worst, with a bandage around most of his torso. He must have been trampled when he was Stunned.

Harry grimaced. He climbed into his bed and vowed to apologize to all the students, publicly, even Anthony and Malfoy.

**Hey! So, I'm not dead. Something came up. I know this chapter is short, but there had to be a bit of fill-in.**

**Skyler Hollow: You are very welcome.**

**Ana Luisa: ****Vivo para complacerlos, chicos.**

**See you guys soon! Review! Gridline **_**out.**_

**Oh yeah, go check out Fallout101 by Iron Striker. I'm his beta, and fun fact, I've never even played Fallout. Just go look and tell him you came from me, please!**


	13. Chapter 12-13

Chapter 12

_~The next morning, in the Ravenclaw dorm~_

Harry slowly woke up. He was sore and tired from yesterday, but he had to get up.

He sat up. Looking around, he found that his dormmates had let him sleep in. Or maybe they were just angry, or perhaps they were scared of him. He wouldn't blame them either way.

Harry walked down to the common room. Seeing nobody there, he continued on to the staircase.

He found a person, finally. It was a girl, kind of a midget, but Harry wouldn't say that. She looked untouched, but then again, magic could do a lot. She was sitting outside the common room, looking through some notes. She looked to be in Harry's year, so he squatted down in front of her.

"Hey, what's your name?"

She looked up. She was startled, and said, "You're Harry MacLeod Potter!"

Harry grinned, despite himself. "Hey, someone remembers the MacLeod! And you are?"

She blushed, but looked pleased and said, "Luna."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Were you locked out of the dorm?"

"No, I was looking for Wrackspurts. They're confusing people, making them think it's your fault for the battle yesterday."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What is a Wrackspurt?"

"They get into your brain and mess with you. They're a lot like Nargles, but Nargles like to live in mistletoe."

Harry was just getting more and more confused. He gave up trying to figure out what she was doing, and said, "I never saw you. Are you a Ravenclaw?"

"No, but I will be next year. My daddy is here, to help with the injured. He's just hoping they won't send him away; a lot of people don't know what gnome saliva can do."

Harry almost laughed, but he held himself back when he saw she was serious. "Well… if it works, I hope they let your dad in."

Luna looked at him, then a beautiful smile spread across her face. "You shouldn't feel guilty, Harry. It wasn't your fault."

She got up, and hurried off. Harry grinned and shook his head, watching her retreating back.

Harry went off to the Great Hall. When he got there, he found that most of the school was there. Almost everyone stopped when he came in. He paused for a moment, then walked to the Ravenclaw table. He didn't see Hermione, so he sat at the end. Everyone pulled away from him as if he had some contagious disease.

He made himself a bowl of cereal. He ate it. He made another.

Suddenly, he heard commotion down the table. "Fine! Be that way- but I'm not going to shun him because of something Malfoy did!"

Roger stood up from his group of friends and walked purposefully to Harry. He plopped himself down beside him, and started making himself a plate.

"You didn't have to do that, Roger," said Harry quietly.

"Do what? Leave those assholes behind? No, I didn't, but if I had stayed I would've been just as bad," said Roger fiercely.

Harry still felt bad, but he let it go. Roger was only the beginning, though. Cho came, then Susan. Susan had a long gash on her face, but it didn't seem to be bleeding.

"Susan, why isn't that healed?" Harry asked. It was something he had wondered when he saw his dormmates, but he wasn't about to wake them up and ask.

"The infirmary was full. They've never been this full; Madam Pomfrey is going insane."

Harry nodded like he had been expecting this.

Ron and Neville came next, with Ron helping Neville walk. "Hey, Harry," said Ron. "Where'd you go last night?"

"To my parent's house. I needed to talk to them," replied Harry.

He had been expecting them to laugh, but they actually nodded and continued as if nothing had happened.

Finally, Harry couldn't take it anymore. "Guys, I'm sorry. This was my fault."

As if they had been expecting this, they all started shaking their heads. "No, Harry. It's Malfoy's and Goldstein's. How many times do we have to explain this?" said Neville, exasperated.

"How many times do _I_ have to tell _you?_" said Harry, annoyed. He realized there was only one way to convince them. "Where is Hermione?"

They looked away. Ron answered when it was clear nobody else would. "She had to go to the infirmary when you left. She was seeing things, and was convinced you had been burned alive."

_Rush,_ Harry thought, horrified. He had caused Hermione to be hospitalized.

Harry jumped up and ran out. Ron and Susan ran after him, with Cho helping Neville. Roger had to stay because he was a prefect.

_~In the infirmary, a few moments later~_

Harry burst in. ignoring the protests from Madam Pomfrey, he started yanking back the curtains from the beds. Most of them were kids that looked terrified of him, but he found Hermione in the second-to-last bed. She was staring glassily up at the ceiling.

Madam Pomfrey had rushed up behind him to scold him, but when she saw what he had been looking for, her eyes softened. "She's been like that since yesterday. Every once in awhile, she'll whisper your name."

Harry felt tears start to gather. Blinking them away, he turned to Madam Pomfrey. "Can we have a moment alone?"

She looked ready to argue, but then she nodded and turned, going back to her office.

Harry turned back to Hermione. He stepped closer and pulled the curtains around them- he had some work to do. He sat down, and a plume of smoke rushed out of his mouth. It went into Hermione, and Harry was left.

_~ Inside Hermione's mind~_

_Harry stepped onto the billowing carpet of memories. He loved doing this, but it was an extreme intrusion on someone's privacy if they didn't give their permission._

_Harry hadn't been able to think of any other way._

_Memories looked like a shimmering silver silk, with waves flowing peacefully a few feet away. There was a dome spider-webbed with small white cracks and explosions. Everything was silent, however, and it gave off a sense of serenity. _

_As Harry looked down, he could see Hermione, a little girl, playing with a man that he assumed was her father. He saw her biking down a road, wind flying through her hair as she whooped in excitement._

_Then he saw her getting slapped. His eyes darkened as he watched a blonde push Hermione to the ground. Hermione didn't seem to be fighting back, but that might be because there were three other girls crowded around her. Tears streamed down her face as the girls kicked her, laughing and cursing her._

_Harry's fists clenched at his sides. If he ever saw those girls, two brunette and the blonde, he would tear them apart._

"_Harry?"_

_Harry whirled around. Hermione was standing there, staring at him with wide eyes. Harry rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. Hermione melted into him, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him._

_Harry pulled back and looked into her amber eyes. "Hermione, we need to get you out."_

_She hadn't let go, and was holding him as if she was afraid he would disappear. "Where are we?"_

"_Your mind. There's a lot of things I need to explain but this is not the place, nor the time."_

_Harry looked around. There was always a fault with someone's mind, a small hole through which the owner could access their memories. He had only been in two minds before, and he had almost been stuck in the first._

_The first was his father's. Crowley's mind had looked a lot like Hell, with red fog and chains everywhere. His memories were shrouded in darkness, not silver. Harry had seen his father's memories, all the torturing, the pain, the happiness. Harry had felt even closer to him after that, just because he had accepted Crowley, even after seeing all the pain he had caused._

_The second had been his bus driver, after he had had a heart attack. Harry had run to him, and while doing CPR, he had jumped into the driver's mind and told him what had happened. The bus driver had said nothing of it when he had come to, probably thinking it was a hallucination._

_Harry was scanning for Hermione's fault when he felt her tug on his arm. "Harry, how are you here? All I remember is you burning- and- and you-"_

_Harry glanced at her, then continued. "We can't talk right now, Hermione. I need to get you out or you may never get out." He looked back at her, and softened. "Rush can flame-travel, Hermione. When I do it, it looks like I burned." He kept scanning the walls of Hermione's mind._

_Hermione tried to see what he was looking at, but found nothing. _

_~In the infirmary, a few minutes after Harry dove into Hermione's mind~_

Ron and Susan ran in, gasping for breath. "How is he so _bloody fast?"_ said Ron, resting on his knees.

"Maybe because he works out?" replied Susan, looking around. She saw nobody, and Hermione's curtain was closed. There was no sign of Harry.

Ron finally caught his breath and stood. He walked over to Hermione's bed and ripped it open, and sure enough, Harry was sitting in the chair beside her. His eyes were closed, and her hand was in his.

"Found him," said Ron amusedly. "Looks like he had enough time to fall asleep before we got here."

"That's just depressing," said Susan, pulling up another chair. Ron followed suit. "Let's just wait for Cho and Neville to tell them what happened."

_~Back in Hermione's mind~_

_Harry had been looking for awhile, but Hermione's mind seemed to be just like Hermione herself. Flawless. He was getting increasingly frustrated, ab=nd was distracted as Hermione said, "Harry, what are you looking for?"_

_Harry growled softly, and sat down on the shimmering silk. "In order to get you out, I need to find a small hole, or tear, in your mind. When I find it, we need to step through, and then you will be back."_

_Hermione's brow furrowed, and she said, "Where am I up there?"_

"_You're lying in a bed in the infirmary. You're otherwise unhurt, but you don't open your eyes or move. Madam Pomfrey… ehm…" his mouth had run ahead of his mind. "She said you talk in your sleep."_

_Hermione nodded, and looked out. After a few moments, she looked back and said, "While we're here, let's talk about how you got into my head." She held up a hand when Harry opened his mouth. "We can look while your explaining. But it's obvious that you want to talk about it, and this is probably the most secure place in the world to talk about it."_

_Harry couldn't argue with her logic, as usual. "Alright. Are you sure you want to know?"_

_Hermione nodded. _

_Harry took a deep breath. This was no small step for him. He was about to reveal what he was to his friend, something nobody knew except for the demons and his mother._

"_Hermione, I'm a demon."_

_~Back in the infirmary~_

Neville and Cho walked into the infirmary gasping, Cho from helping Neville and Neville from walking on his leg.

"Hey guys, how's Harry?" said Neville, plopping down in a chair with a sigh.

"As far as we can tell, good," said Susan, gesturing to the sleeping boy. "He was like that when we came here."

"Dang. He must have been tired."

Ron laughed. "More like he got bored of waiting for us."

_~In Hermione's mind~_

_Hermione laughed. "Sure, Harry. Is it some spell?"_

_Harry looked at her, pained, and Hermoine suddenly knew without a shadow of doubt that he was telling the truth._

"_Oh my god," she whispered. Harry wrinkled his nose. "You're a- a demon?"_

"_Half-demon, technically. A cambion. But Hermione-" he reached out to take her hand, but she recoiled. Stung, he continued. "Hermione, I'm not evil or anything. My dad saved my mom from an abusive relationship, and they got together. I came into the picture a year later. Hermione, I would do anything to protect you."_

_Hermione said nothing. She was making sense of all those times when he got to class before her, the Apparition, how strong he was…_

"_So, on the train…"_

_Harry nodded. "I wasn't Apparating. I can shadow-travel, which is a lot easier than Apparating. I was a bit worried that Hogwarts would have sigils against demons, but I was fine."_

_Hermione was calming slowly. This was still Harry, the boy she had been crushing on since she met him. The boy that had helped Neville fight off three Slytherins. The boy who had refused to let her run into a wall to find out if it was the one to get onto the platform._

_Harry was peering at her sadly. "I didn't want to lie to you, Hermione, but I couldn't let this get out, and I didn't know if I could trust you."_

_Hermione came closer, and snuggled into him. "I'm sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have gotten all scared."_

_Harry laughed. Hermione closed her eyes, feeling the rumble of his chest as he spoke. "I'm glad you did, Hermione. If you hadn't even taken a step back, I would've been worried for your safety."_

_Hermione looked up at his smiling face. If this wasn't a good time to confess, then she didn't know what was. "Harry, if we're being honest…" she trailed off, then, before she lost her nerve, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his._

_Harry's eyes widened, and he froze. _

_Hermione felt this and her heart sank. She started to pull away, but Harry unfroze and followed, keeping their lips locked._

_Harry closed his eyes and gave in to the kiss, pulling Hermione to him. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled herself up to him, trying to press closer._

_They broke apart, and opened their eyes. Their eyes were bombarded with flashing reds and golds. Harry kept his arms around Hermione , and gazed in awe at the display. Among the explosions was a white star, and Harry realised that that was the way out. _

_Harry looked down to Hermione, who looked even more beautiful under the light, with the glow reflecting off her eyes. "Hermione, hold on to me."_

_Hermione looked to him, and pulled herself close. Harry looked up at the star, and started running. _

_Holding Hermione, he ran faster than he ever had before. Exhilarated, he shouted in jubilation. Hermione joined in, and their voices echoed around, surrounded by silver waves, illuminated by the brilliance of the cracks and booms of Hermione's happiness._

Chapter 13

_~In the infirmary~_

Smoke slowly came out of Hermione's mouth, and into Harry's.

Harry and Hermione jerked awake, causing Ron to fall off his chair with a curse.

"Finally!" said Susan, looking up from their game of Exploding Snap. "We've been waiting for, like, two hours!"

"Sorry," said Harry, not even looking at her. He was grinning at Hermione, who was red. If she didn't know any better, Susan would have thought they had kissed. But they couldn't have, right? They were sleeping the whole time.

"About time!" said Neville. "Harry, how are you so fast? Ron and Susan fell behind fast, not to mention me and Cho."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I was worried. I'm just glad Hermione woke up."

"Oh yeah," said Ron, clambering back onto his seat. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Thanks," said Hermione. She got out of bed, standing tentatively. Her legs shook but held, so she started walking around to get the feeling back.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office, planning on checking on her patients again. When she saw Hermione up and walking though, she rushed over and practically shoved her back onto the bed. "Stay there! You should not be walking so soon after getting up!"

Hermione got back in bed. As Madam Pomfrey walked off to check the other beds, she said, "Sheesh. Can't even walk around without her yelling at me." She looked at the others. "I just hope she lets me go before dinner."

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Madam Pomfrey came back and ushered them out.

_~Back in the Great Hall~_

Classes were almost fun, since Harry knew Hermione was alright. Not to mention they had kissed. That was cool too.

Harry went through his day in a trance, doing homework and taking notes, ignoring glares from Slytherins, and eating lunch with his friends. They noticed how quiet he was being, but they left him alone. That is, until Roger jogged up to their section of the table.

"Harry, tomorrow is our first Quidditch practice. Do you have a broom?"

Harry looked up, surprised. "Not at the moment, but I can get one in time."

"Good. I heard you woke up Hermione, I'm glad. Now, I need to go tell the rest of the team." And he ran off.

"Dang, I forgot you're on the Quidditch team," said Ron, shoving more food into his mouth. "You'll be playing against my brothers, Fred and George."

Harry remembered them. "The twins?"

"That's them. No matter what you do, do _not_ accept food from them. Last time, I turned into a canary."

Harry snorted. He got up and walked out, going to see Hermione before his classes.

They talked, laughed, a few other… things… and Harry was chased out by Madam Pomfrey. All-in-all, it was the best day Harry had had in awhile.

When Harry's classes were done, he wrote a letter to his parents, and gave it to Rush.

_To Mom and Dad,_

_I told her! She took it well, better than I thought she would… Nobody else knows yet, she agreed to keep it a secret until I'm ready. Malfoy and Goldstein, the kids I knew were going to cheat, they still glare at me every once in awhile, but most of the people that blame me for the riot are Slytherins, and that's just them mad that they lost the battle._

_So, I haven't told you, but Professor Flitwick thought I was good enough to be a Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Apparently it's a lot different from Quadpot. Anyway, I need a broom, so can you guys send me mine? Rush can take me in flame travel, so I don't think a broom will be much trouble for him._

_Also, I'm way further ahead than the other students in Charms and Potions. Professor Flitwick says I need to learn Charms theory, but Professor Snape seems to really hate me. I don't know why, but I have a feeling he's going to say no when I ask him for an advanced class._

_That's a pretty good update. I hope I get to see you guys soon! _

_Love, Harry_

Harry looked over at Rush, who was sitting on his perch, and held out the letter. Rush took it and disappeared in a plume of flame.

_~In the Great Hall at dinner~_

Harry was eating and laughing with his friends when he felt a hand on his shoulder, pushing to the side. "Hermione!" he exclaimed, scooting to the side so she could sit.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey said I could come to dinner as long as I don't exert myself," she said, grabbing his hand under the table. Harry grinned and continued eating with his other hand.

"She was okay with that? She wouldn't let me leave for awhile! I had to wait for her to check everyone and then _double_-check, before she gave in to my whining," said Neville, getting a round of laughs.

"Yes well, Hermione wasn't limping around like an injured chicken," joked Susan.

"True," conceded Neville.

"I heard your first practice is tomorrow," said Hermione, looking at Harry. "Do you have a broom?"

"My parents are sending me mine. How'd you find out so fast?"

"Oh, Lavender Brown and her friend. They were gossiping in the bed next to mine," said Hermione, making herself a plate. "You're like a trend, Harry. Girls aren't cool unless they know what size shoes you wear."

Ron snorted into his pudding, getting a disgusted look from Padma, who was sitting next to him.

"Wow, their standards went up," said Susan sarcastically.

"Harry!"

"Harry!"

Harry turned to look for the source of the voices. He saw two red-heads, and he recognized them as the twins from the platform. "Yes?"

They ran up and stopped in front of him, wringing his hand with both of their own. "We were just saying congratulations on getting onto the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."

"Yes, but we wish you were on the Gryffindor team."

"Still, maybe you can get the Quidditch Cup for Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, better you guys than Slytherin."

"We'll see you on the field!"

"Bye!"

Harry turned back to the table as they jogged back to their table. "Well that was different."

Ron laughed. "They always do that. It's hard to get a word in at my house, especially when they know they're stopping you."

Harry grinned and looked back, seeing them doing the same thing with the Seeker from Hufflepuff. The boy looked surprised but pleased, and was just smiling as they rambled on.

"Uh-oh, Harry," said Ron, who had noticed them as well. "Check your hand."

Harry raised an eyebrow and looked at it to find a small silvery substance covering it. The silver was liquid, but if Harry tried to shake it off, it hung onto him.

"Do you know what this is?" he said, showing it to Ron.

Ron paled and said, "I don't know what they call it, but if you try to pick something up it'll stop you, and it lasts for twelve hours."

Harry was a bit nervous now. "I have Quidditch practice tomorrow!"

Ron shrugged. "I'm sure there's a way to get it off."

Harry reached back to pull out his wand, but as soon as he grabbed it, the silver _threw_ it away, to be caught by Hermione.

"Thanks," he said. He took it with his left hand. "It felt awkward, but he cast Wingardium Leviosa and the silver slowly rose up off his hand, in a watery blob.

"Wow," breathed Hermione. "It's beautiful. It almost looks like-"

But she stopped. Harry knew what she was talking about. The blob looked a lot like Hermione's memories.

Harry looked back and saw the Hufflepuff boy hadn't figured it out yet. He kept trying to pick up his fork, and the silver would let it fall. He was getting increasingly frustrated, and punched his hand into his hand. The silver grabbed it, and split in half. Now he had two, one on each hand.

Harry laughed. "He's going to have trouble now," he joked, and everyone laughed.

Harry felt a tug from his side. He looked at Hermione, and she said, "Meet me outside after dinner."

Then she stood up, letting go of Harry's hand. He hadn't even noticed he was holding it. "I'm going to go to bed. See you," she said, and glanced at Harry meaningfully. Then she walked out the Hall.

Harry watched her go, then turned back and kept eating.

"Harry."

Harry looked up to find Ron and Neville grinning at him. "Something you want to tell us?"

Harry smiled and shook his head. "No, there isn't." He stood up and his food disappeared. "Try to figure it out."

He walked out after Hermione, with Ron and Neville looking after him.

_~Out on the grounds~_

Harry walked out, looking around. He felt Hermione's feeling's farther down, almost on the Quidditch pitch, and kept walking.

When he got there, he felt her behind a tree. He laughed. "Hermione, being a demon, the first thing I learned to do was feel a person's feelings. Come on out."

Hermione came, looking a bit sheepish. She got defensive when she saw him. "Well, how was I supposed to know you could read minds?"

"Not read minds, feelings," corrected Harry, stepping closer. "Want to see what else I can do?"

Hermione nodded.

The first thing Harry did was show her his strength. He lifted up a shed, albeit with a bit of grunting. He then showed her his speed, running to her, then to the edge of the forest, then back in a matter of a couple seconds.

He also showed her shadow-traveling. "That's what I did to get us onto the train. Do you want to try again?" he said, stepping out from under the bleachers.

Hermioone was visibly nervous. "So we'll be going into… Hell?"

"Yes. And I won't look the same there as here. But no matter what, don't let go, okay?"

She nodded, and hugged him across the chest. They vanished in a puff of smoke.

_~In Hell~_

_Hermione came to to find Harry had black eyes, black tattoos that shifted whenever she looked away, and a billowing cloak. Looking around, she saw chains, smoke, and a red glow._

_She heard a scream. "Harry, what was that?"_

_The wind, however, pulled her words away, and Harry didn't hear her._

_She kept looking. She saw a few other demons, flying through the air with smoke trailing behind them. A few noticed her and Harry, but then they kept flying. Perhaps they were afraid of Harry because he was a prince of Hell._

"_Hermione!"_

_She looked up to see a rift opening in front of them, and she grabbed onto Harry just in time._

_~Back in Hogwarts~_

Harry and Hermione came out of Hell under the bleachers, and Harry grabbed onto Hermione before she fell. "What'd you think?" said Harry, laughing.

Hermione looked at him. "Harry, what were those screams?"

Harry sobered. "Hermione, it's called Hell for a reason," he said sadly. "Souls are down there, getting tortured and turned into demons."

Hermione was horrified. "Did that happen to you?"

"No, I was born as a cambion. It happened to my dad, though. He built himself up to king of Hell, though. So it's not too bad."

"Have you tortured people?" said Hermione.

"Not often. Usually it's disobedient demons. Or it's for a crossroads deal."

Hermione was confused. "What's a crossroads deal?"

"It's what my dad was before he was king of Hell. A demon will be at a crossroads, and if you bury a box with the right things inside it, the crossroads demon will appear. You can say one thing, and that demon has to give it to you, but only in exchange for your soul in ten years."

"Have you ever made a deal?"

Harry laughed. "Yeah, and it was weird. To seal the deal, you need to kiss. I had to kiss an old man."

Hermione giggled, imagining Harry. Then she remembered. "Have you taken his soul yet?"

"No. I did it about a year ago, so I will collect when I'm twenty years old."

They processed this, then Harry said, "So, want to see my other powers?"

Hermione nodded, and Harry showed her how he could draw energy from around him and use it to throw bolts of energy through the hoops on the field.

He also created a green eagle, and made Hermione jump. "What is that?"

"I can make constructs using energy. I'm actually drawing the energy from the grass, so I need to stop," he said, and the eagle exploded into shards of jade.

"Wow," breathed Hermione.

"Yeah. You think that's cool, look at this," Harry said, and he pulled out his knife.

"This knife can kill any demon," he said, then turned the blade towards him.

"Harry, what are you-!" Hermione began, but Harry had already plunged the knife at his own chest.

And the blade stopped on his skin with a ting. "I'm invulnerable," he said gleefully.

Hermione breathed out. "God, Harry, don't do that to me."

Harry smiled and shrugged, and said, "So, there's two more things I can do."

"What's that?"

Harry hesitated. "I'm going to show you, promise you won't freak out."

Hermione nodded, and watched as Harry grew a snout, along with a tail and claws.

"I can still talk," he said, and he did a backflip. "Dang, I haven't felt so good in a while."

Hermione was examining him like he was a specimen for her science project. "Maybe your powers are like muscles. The more you use them, the easier it gets."

"Maybe," Harry said. "It would make sense, because I haven't used my powers much at all." He looked at her closely. "Are you ok with this, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged. "I read about Animagi. This is like another magical ability, just… you're the only one that can do it."

Harry nodded. "So now you understand why the battle was my fault. Or at least, it's my fault that it went on as long as it did."

"No."

Harry looked at her in surprise. She said it with so much force, it sounded foreign coming out of her mouth. "No, Harry, you just wanted to keep your identity a secret. That's fine. I don't blame you, and nobody else would, either."

"But… I haven't shown you yet," he realized. He turned to the Quidditch pitch. Concentrating, he held out his hand. The ground started to writhe, like a giant trying to get the stands off his back. Then hands reached up out of the ground, clawing at the grass, trying to get purchase. When it didn't work, they slowly rose until you could see faces and torsos rising up, and by the time Hermione had reached his side, there was an army of souls standing at attention on the field.

Hermione was speechless. "You- this- how-?"

"I can raise damned souls from Hell to obey my commands. So, you see. I could've summoned these guys, and the riot would've been over within the minute."

Hermione looked thoughtful as she watched the souls shuffle around. "No, more likely the students would've just run away, and trampled even more."

Harry paused. He hadn't considered that.

"Not to mention, the souls don't look gentle. So if you had told them to stop the riot, they would've run in, punching and kicking until there was no one left."

"All right, all right. I get it," Harry said, holding a hand out to the souls. They sank into the grass, and the field was there, not a blade of grass out of place. If she hadn't seen it, Hermione could've sworn nothing had been there in the first place.

Harry turned to her. "So, I'm going to ask one more time. Are you ok with me being a demon?"

Hermione nodded. "I'm fine, Harry. I can be friends with a demon. Well," she added cheekily. "Half-demon."

Harry grinned, and pulled her into a hug. This was better than he had thought.

**Wow! I honestly did not see that coming. I am but a vessel, for the words to flow through my fingers to the keyboard, to the screen, and to your guys's phones and tablets and computers. I really enjoyed these chapters; let me know what you guys thought.**

**And yes, I brought in Luna early. Don't judge me, I was actually writing about Harry finding a little girl outside the common room before I knew who the little girl was.**

**To my reviews:**

**Ana Luisa: Gracias!**

**mizzrazz72: Yeah, but in canon, Harry was kind of thick like that. And he had other things on his mind. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Gridline **_**out.**_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Harry woke up in his dorm. Today was Saturday, and his first Quidditch practice.

He sat up, looking at his dormmates. They were still asleep, arms hanging over the edge of their beds.

Harry got up as quietly as he could, and got dressed. He walked out onto the staircase, staying beside the wall so it wouldn't creak. He got to the bottom and stepped out into the corridor, and started jogging.

He was halfway down the Ravenclaw Tower when he heard someone running behind him. Not turning around to see who it was, he kept going to the bottom. He heard labored breaths behind him, and he grinned. This guy wasn't used to running.

When Harry got to the base of the Tower, he put on an extra burst of speed and ran around the corner. He got out his knife, and held it at his side. If this guy wasn't after him, Harry didn't want him to see the knife.

Harry heard the person running around the corner, and tightened his grip on the knife. The person ran around the corner and into Harry, and he rolled, landing in a crouch and raising his knife.

Hermione got up to her feet to see him, knees bent, knife in front of him. "It's fine, Harry, I was just seeing where you were going."

Harry blushed and stowed his knife. "Were you already awake? It's really early."

"I couldn't sleep," she said. "I kept thinking about what you said last night."

Harry nodded. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "Do you always run in the morning?"

"When I can. I especially wanted to because of my practice today."

Hermione cocked her head, then understanding dawned on her face. "Oh, it's your Quidditch practice today, isn't it?"

"Yes. I-"

They were interrupted by a squeak of hinges as Professor Quirrel walked out of a classroom in the hall.

"Oh, hello, Professor," said Harry.

"Oh, y-yes, hello," stammered Quirrel.

Snape walked out of the classroom and pushed past Quirrel to stride down the hall and out of sight. Harry looked at his back in confusion, then shrugged and turned to Hermione. "I'll see you at breakfast, Hermione. I'm going to finish my run."

"Alright, see you, Harry," she said, watching him jog around the corner. That left Hermione and Quirrel together.

"Well… what are we doing today, Professor?" she said cheerily.

He looked at her as if he had forgotten she was there. "Th-that is none of y-your concern."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed, and he left down the corridor.

She shrugged and went back to her dorm.

_~In the Great Hall, at breakfast~_

Hermione and the others were sitting at Ravenclaw table when Harry came running up. He had changed into his Quidditch robes, and he was holding a sleek silver broom in his left hand.

Ron, of course, was the first to comment. "Wow! Harry, what kind of broom is _that?"_

"It's a LIghtning Strike," said Harry proudly. "England's Firebolt, which is still being engineered, is actually based on this broom, and not nearly as fast."

Ron's eyes bugged out of his head, and his hand slowly reached out to stroke the shaft. "Ca- can I… touch it?"

"Sure, knock yourself out," replied Harry, tossing it at him as he sat beside Hermione.

"Harry! Be careful!" exclaimed Ron, cradling the broom to his chest, as if it was a baby. "You can't toss something this valuable around!"

"Watch me," said Harry, serving himself some eggs. He looked up to see the shocked expression on Ron's face, and relented. "Ron, if it's so expensive, don't you think the engineers would have made it a bit more durable?"

Ron paused, then nodded. "Still, you take it. This broom is worth more than my house."

Harry took it back, and set it beside him. At that exact moment, Roger walked up to their group. "Hey guys, How you doin?"

They told him, and he nodded. "Good, good. Nice broom, Harry. See you in an hour."

He left, and Hermione watched him go. She also noticed how all the girls on the Ravenclaw table, along with a good portion of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, were eyeing Harry, who was still holding his shiny new broom.

"Harry," whispered Hermione, "Your new broom is attracting _a lot_ of attention."

Harry turned to see what she was talking about, and saw half the girls in the Hall hastily turn back to their food. He grinned, and held Hermione's hand under the table. "It's fine, Hermione. It's not like they're going to jump me on the Quidditch pitch."

"Don't be so sure."

Harry grinned and shook his head. He shoveled the rest of his eggs into his mouth and got up, taking his broom with him. "Bye, Hermione. See you on the pitch?"

"Absolutely," she replied, and he walked out, twirling his broom.

"You're gonna have to fight off a couple hundred girls later, Hermione," said Padma, winking.

Hermione sighed. "I know."

_~On the Quidditch Pitch~_

Harry walked out into the sunlight, and spread his arms. It was a good day to practice.

"Hey, Harry!"

Harry turned to look, but saw nothing.

"Up here!"

He looked up, and saw Roger, grinning.

"You ready to meet the rest of the team?" he asked.

"Yeah!"

Roger grinned, and turned. "Alright, guys, come on out!"

Out came five other players, flying in formation, obviously trying to impress. In front were two boys the Harry guessed were Chasers, because one was holding the Quaffle. One was tall and lanky, the other looked like he should be a Beater, he was so bulky. Behind them were the Beaters, easily distinguishable from the rest because of their bats. One was average size with black hair, and the other was a bit short. Bringing up the rear was another tall kid.

"Harry, these two are my fellow Chasers, Jeremy Stretton and Randolph Burrow. The Beaters are Duncan Inglebee and Jason Samuels, and that one behind them is our Keeper, Grant Page," said Roger proudly.

Harry was already looking them over. _Jeremy and Roger are fine as Chasers, but Randolph and Jason should switch, because Randolph has the build for a Beater. Jason should be a Chaser, but the others are good. _

Harry looked at Roger. _Then again, Roger knows these guys. Maybe I should wait to make my verdict._

"Team, this is Harry MacLeod Potter. He will be our new Seeker."

Duncan looked at Harry doubtfully. "This guy? He's tiny!"

"From what I read, Seekers don't have to be big. Lithe and fast are more important," replied Harry.

"And what if you're neck to neck with Cedric Diggory? Or Terrence Higgs?" challenged Jason. "They could sweep you out of their way like the Whomping Willow would a bird."

"Then I'll just have to spot the Snitch before them," said Harry simply. He was holding in his anger as best he could, but he could see Jason wasn't. Harry understood now why he was a Beater. Chasers needed to work together to get the Quaffle to the goal, while Beaters worked on their own level. Jason was not a team player.

Jason shook his head and stepped back to Duncan, whispering. Duncan grinned, and nodded.

_This isn't good, _Harry thought. Jason had been angry, now he was impatient. They were going to do something.

Randolph cleared his throat. "Roger, let's start practice." He looked at the Beaters. "Let's not judge until we see him in action."

Jason scowled, and Duncan stuck his tongue out. Randolph snorted and looked at Roger. Roger looked at his team, and said, "Up!"

Immediately, they kicked off. Harry followed a second later, and flew above the rest. The Chasers were getting into formation, and the Beaters positioned themselves on the other end of the field. They would try to stop the Chasers by getting in the way and knocking Bludgers at them, while the Chasers tried to get the Quaffle past Grant.

As Harry watched, Grant released the latch on the chest, and the Snitch and the two Bludgers flew out. Grant threw the Quaffle to the Chasers, flew to the goalposts, and the match began.

The Chasers went into a flurry of action, with Jeremy and Randolph going right while Roger, who had the Quaffle, flew left. Jason went after Roger, and Duncan flew in the middle. Jason, only a few feet behind Roger, reached out and pulled on the straws of his broom. Feeling the disturbance, Roger flew down, under Jason, and threw the Quaffle to Randolph, who had drifted down, unnoticed by Duncan. Randolph threw the Quaffle to Jeremy, who accelerated up to the goalposts, and threw the Quaffle through the middle hoop, with the ball flying right through Grant's fingers.

"Grant, you have to splay your fingers!" shouted Roger flying up to him and demonstrating. "The Quaffle will get past you every time if you keep your fingers stiff like that."

While they were talking, Randolph flew up to Harry.

"Hey, I know it's cool, but you need to look for the Snitch," he said.

"Right," said Harry. "You guys fly really well!"

"Thanks. Roger was important to that. He knows the difference between working hard and _overworking_ yourself." Randolph chuckled. "Too bad Oliver Wood doesn't. He has some good players, and they could be a really good time if he didn't shove new plays and formations and grips and all else on them every practice. Roger will show us something new every other practice, but that's pretty much it."

"How good are these players, in your opinion," said Harry. "On a scale of one to ten."

Randolph sighed and rubbed his chin. "Well, Roger, as a Chaser and a Captain, is a nine. He should keep a better hold on Jason and Duncan, but other than that, he's a good player and friend.

"Jeremy is like a Weasley Twin, but he can focus when needed. I'll give him an eight.

"Jason is hard. He's a hothead, but he's also a good Beater. The only player he considers a friend is Duncan, and all the others are acquaintances, people he would say hi to in passing. He's a seven.

"Duncan, my brother, is a solid eight. He can also focus, and he's a bit calmer than Jason. He'll help you in a pinch, but he considers it a favor and will ask for something in return, most likely.

"Grant, well… He's an okay Keeper. He's Roger's brother, so that helps, and Roger gives him lots of advice." Randolph leaned in conspiratorially. "Between you and me, I think he would be better as a Chaser."

Harry nodded. Randolph had helped a lot. "And me?"

Randolph chuckled. "I haven't seen you in action yet." Roger called from below, and Randolph looked at Harry one last time. "Remember, look for the Snitch."

Harry nodded, and Randolph flew back down into formation. Students had gathered in the stands to watch the famed 'First-Year Seeker' in his first practice.

This time, when the match began, Harry started looking around the stands, the goalposts, and… down on the field.

Randolph, who was following Roger this time, looked up and saw Harry. "Harry! Look for the Snitch!"

"I am! I swear!" shouted Harry, and at that moment, he saw the Snitch in the scaffolding, under some stands that had been hit by a Bludger. He shot off, to the applause and whoops of those in the stands. Harry dove down, through the holes in the scaffolding, and reached out…

Barely missing the Snitch. The golden ball flew out to the goalposts, and Harry followed. Spiraling around the middle goalpost, he saw the Snitch flying down to the Chasers, who were in the middle of the pitch, trying to get past the Beaters. Harry flew through the Beaters, purposely disturbing their formation, and went over the Chasers.

The Snitch was closer and closer every second. Harry could see why the witches and wizards preferred this sport over Quadpot, the feeling of adrenaline chasing the Snitch compared to Quadpot was like comparing a giant to a troll.

Harry closed his fingers around the Snitch as the Chasers scored their second goal.

"_Alright, Harry! Not bad, not bad at all!" _shouted Roger in jubilation. Harry heard shrieking in the stands, and looking over, could see Hermione clapping. Harry grinned and waved, and was then swamped by the rest of the team.

Through all the congratulations, and players yelling, "We've got the Cup in the _bag!"_ Harry saw Randolph smiling and nodding, and that alone made it worthwhile.

**Wow! That felt good. So sorry for being gone so long, but fellow writers will understand when I say I had no inspiration, so it would've been horrible if I had just forced myself through it. This chapter has got to be my favorite so far, though, I've been wanting to write Quidditch since I started this fanfic. Thank you!**

**Ana Luisa: Gracias! Lo siento, tomó tanto tiempo actualizar.**

**Tempest Novastorm: Thank you! I know what you mean, I've read **_**so **_**many stories like that. Many good storylines have been ruined because of the authors making Harry **_**way**_ **too powerful.**

**Jacob Phantom: Here you go! Thanks for being patient.**

**Review! Gridline **_**out.**_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Malfoy stormed into the Slytherin common room. Potter thought he hadn't noticed that… _thing_… that had knocked him off the platform? Well, that would cost him. His father would hear about this. In the meantime, he would start talking to the other Slytherins. Many of them were angry at Harry and the rest of Ravenclaw; it wouldn't take much to convince them to counter-attack.

Malfoy walked up to a group of Slytherins. He knew one of them, Blaise Zabini. "We can't look weak to the rest of the Houses. We need to fight Potter and the rest of his gang."

Zabini looked at the rest of the group, and nodded. "Agreed. When will you need us?"

"Not now, but soon. Spread the word… Potter's going down."

Zabini nodded and left. Malfoy went into his dorm and pulled out some parchment and a quill. He had a letter to write.

_~Malfoy Manor, a couple hours later~_

Lucius Malfoy stormed into his conference room, where a meeting was going on between him and his contacts. The subject at hand was nowhere near as important as the letter he had just received.

"All of you, out," he snapped. A few looked ready to argue, but wilted under his gaze and left meekly. Lucius stopped one of them, a fellow named Murray.

"I have a problem at Hogwarts," said Lucius quietly. "I need names. The best hunters you know of. They get the job done, and you'll get paid."

Murray was conflicted. Not because of emotional ties to Crowley, far from it, but he didn't want this catching up to him. All Murray cared about was getting some more money. Crowley had stationed him here a year ago, and Murray liked this place much more than America. Murray made up his mind.

"There's a pair in America. Sam and Dean Winchester. They'll take just about any job, if you stress the danger to the humans."

Lucius nodded and left. Murray walked out of the house, his head clamoring with shouts of how _stupid_ the thing he had just done was. There was no way Crowley wouldn't track him down.

_Lucius would've killed me anyway, _he reasoned. _Lucius has experience with this sort of thing. He probably had holy water with him when he asked. It was a no-win situation._

None of this made him feel better. He called a taxi then left London, with no intention of coming back.

_~Somewhere in America, in a dingy motel room~_

Two men sat on their beds. One sharpened his knife, while the other looked at something on his laptop. One guess as to which is which.

"Anything?" asked Dean, pausing in his sharpening.

"Nope. All I could find was a couple disappearing in Maine, but nothing about suggests supernatural interference."

Dean sighed and shook his head. "Man, I'm bored. We should do something."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" he said, chuckling slightly.

"Let's go to the beach," said Dean, putting away his knife.

Sam snorted. "The beach? Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not?" replied Dean, taking out another knife to sharpen. "When was the last time we just kicked back, drank some beers, and hung out?"

"Um… we haven't."

"Exactly," said Dean triumphantly. "Besides, you couldn't find anything. There are no people in danger that we know of, so let's take some 'us' time."

Sam opened his mouth to answer, but the motel room's fireplace interrupted. Green flames exploded over the charred logs, and Dean jumped back with a shout of surprise.

A man stepped out of the fireplace to find a knife and a pistol leveled at his face. He slowly raised his hands and said, "I come in peace."

"Yeah, sure, witch," said Dean, kicking over a chair. "Take a seat. You've got some explaining to do."

_~Later that day~_

"What do you think?" said Sam.

"I don't know what to think," replied Dean. They looked back at the man, or supposedly, the 'wizard.'

"He's not a demon, and we didn't find any hex bags," said Sam reasonably.

"Well, yeah, but how could he have of us if he doesn't have a demon contact? Add on the fact that he lives in _England."_

"If he's telling the truth, though, there could be an entire school of kids in trouble."

Dean sighed and looked back at the wizard. "Guess we don't have a choice."

"Yup. That vacation is going to have to wait," said Sam, walking over to the wizard. "Alright, how are we getting to England? I don't want to get burned in the fire."

"Well, it's either that, or Apparation, and I don't think you want that," said the wizard cheerily.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What's Apparation?"

The wizard shrugged. "Muggles call it teleporting. It's not pleasant, though."

"I'll always choose teleportation over being burned alive," said Sam, hauling the wizard to his feet. "So, are we meeting this Lord Malfoy, or are we just going straight to the school? Hogwarts, right?"

"How'd you remember that?" said Dean incredulously. "I just knew it was Pig-something."

Sam shrugged, then looked at the wizard. "You'll be going to Hogwarts first. You'll meet Lord Malfoy if you do the job right."

"Don't worry about that. This'll be a piece of cake," said Dean. "Let's get going. Oh, but I need someone to take care of my car." He stepped closer. "And I don't want a single scratch. Like, not one, understand me?"

The wizard looked unconcerned. "Yes, of course. Now, grab my arm."

Sam grabbed his shoulder, and Dean gripped his arm. The wizard winced, then disappeared with a crack.

_~Outside Hogwarts grounds, about 8 o'clock at night~_

Sam and Dean appeared outside a forest filled with trees. They could see a lake, and an old house, falling apart from the wind and rain, but other than that, there was not a school in sight.

Dean whirled and grabbed the wizard by the collar. "Where did you take us?"

The wizard opened and closed his mouth, but he was unable to say anything from the pressure on his throat. Dean let go, and the wizard fell to his knees, gasping.

"Ho-Hogwarts!" cried out the wizard, gulping in air. "You're Muggles, and there's a Charm over the castle to stop you from seeing it! I need to Charm you so the castle thinks you're wizards!"

Sam looked at the cottage, then back at the wizard. Then he helped him to his feet. "Alright, work your magic," he said, then chuckled. "Pun intended."

The wizard pulled out his wand, then murmured nonsense under his breath until he was out of breath. "There," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "It's done."

Sam turned to look at the house, then gasped. The cottage had turned into a huge castle, just like from medieval times. "Wow."

Dean nodded in agreement, then turned to the wizard. "So, where do we-?"

But the wizard was gone. Dean turned back to the castle. "Well, I guess it's up to us to find a way in."

Sam looked around, and saw the Main Hall, still open until curfew. "There. But it'll be a hike."

Dean laughed, and started off. Sam followed.

_~After a long walk~_

Dean and Sam walked up to the double doors, slightly awed by the sheer size of the entrance.

"So… do we walk in?" said Sam.

"Yeah. The guy said it's a kid named Harry," said Dean, then he shook his head. "Poor kid. Exorcising isn't nice."

"Neither is leaving in the demon."

"True," replied Dean. "Let's look for a teacher."

They walked in. Peering in the Great Hall, they saw some kids still eating dinner, but no teachers.

Dean walked through a doorway, then stopped suddenly. Sam walked into his back, then said, "What is it?"

Dean stepped out of the way, and Sam gasped. There was a literal _maze_ of stairs above them, and as they watched, a staircase moved to the side.

"How do the students get to their classes in time?" said Sam.

"No idea. But they must be fit as hell, running up and down the staircases all day."

Then, they saw an old lady making her way down a staircase. "Come on," said Dean, starting up one of the staircases.

After a bit of walking, the brothers got to the lady. "Excuse me, but we need some information on one of the kids in this school," said Sam, using the voice he uses when under the FBI guise.

"And you are?" said the lady, stopping above them.

"Agents Angus and Young, ma'am," replied Dean.

"Well, agents, we don't give out information on our students in this school," she said, then looked closer. "Are you American?"

"Yes, ma'am. We're transfers," said Dean, thinking on the spot. "Now, can you take us to the principal, please?"

"He means Headmaster," said Sam hastily.

The lady raised an eyebrow, but then turned and started up the staircase. "This way, please. I am Professor McGonnagal, and our Headmaster is Professor Dumbledore."

"Yes, ma'am," said Sam.

_~In Dumbledore's office~_

"So, you're telling me Harry is a demon?" said Dumbledore, a little skepticism in his voice.

"Well, that's what we were told," replied Sam.

"By who?" said Dumbledore.

"Our superiors." said Dean.

"And why are the FBI interested in something in England?"

"Sir, do you want to protect your students or not?" interrupted Sam.

Dumbledore was conflicted. There was no reason to trust them, but Harry was a little odd…

"Alright. Professor, go and wake up Harry. Bring him here," said Dumbledore reluctantly.

McGonnagal's mouth tightened, but she turned and left the office, presumably to get Harry.

"Sir, this may get messy if we're going to figure out what a demon is doing in the school," said Sam.

"No," said Dumbledore firmly. "I will not have you torture Harry. There are some lines I will not cross."

"Sir, that thing?" said Dean, pointing out the door. "That's not the Harry you know. That's not Harry _at all."_

"That's irrelevant," said Dumbledore, waving his hand. "Harry has integrated himself into our school, and I won't let you cut him into ribbons."

At that moment, Harry was ushered in by McGonnagal. He looked a bit confused, and Dean almost felt bad. But this was a demon, not a boy. Or at least, the boy wasn't in control. Dean planned to change that.

"Professor, do you have a place we can talk in private?" said Sam, raising his eyebrows meaningfully. Dumbledore looked about to argue, then swallowed a lump in his throat, and gestured to the library.

When they were gone, Dean set to work making a Devil's Trap in front of the exit. He glanced at Dumbledore. "You good?"

Dumbledore didn't reply; he was afraid his voice would betray him.

**Hey, guys, sorry it took so long. Sam and Dean's first appearance! What do y'all think? Let me know.**

**StormShadow13: Thanks!**

**Qorianth Grindelwald:Thank you! And I like the name.**

**Tempest Novastorm: Got through it to get it again, but I'll keep trying.**

**Thanks guys! I promise I won't abandon the story.**

**Gridline **_**out.**_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Harry walked into the library. "So, what is this about? Is this about the duel? Because that was cleared up. I-"

Harry felt a hot stinging in his back. The pain grew, and he hissed and fell back.

Sam looked at the empty bottle of holy water and smiled grimly. "Now, you're going through tell me what you're doing in this school, or I will-"

"Will what?" hissed Harry. "I've done nothing wrong!"

"You started a civil war," said Sam reasonably.

"That was Malfoy's fault! I was- you know what? Screw this."

Sam ducked under Harry's fist, only to meet his foot. Sam stumbled back, blood shooting from his nose, as Harry ran past him. Sam reached out and grabbed him just in time to pull him to the ground.

Harry, temporarily surprised, lashed out and punched Sam in the stomach. All the breath flew out of Sam's chest, and he fell back. Harry jumped up and ran out.

In Dumbledore's office, Dean turned around to find Harry barreling towards him. Dean threw himself out of the way, and Harry ran right past him.

Right up until he ran into an invisible wall.

Breathing hard, Harry fell onto his knees.

"Devil's Trap. You didn't think we were just going to let you out, did you?" said Dean.

Harry growled, but even he was restrained in a Trap. "So, what do you want? That duel was dealt with by the professors. Just ask Dumbledore."

Dean chuckled. "Okay. Dumbledore, did you guys deal with the duel? Everything is taken care of?"

Dumbledore glared at him and didn't answer. Harry looked at him, hurt, until his face hardened. "Fine. Do your worst. I've been through things worse than even a hunter's nightmares."

Dean laughed. "You haven't been through mine, trust me."

At that moment, Sam walked out, covering his nose.

"Hey, buddy," said Harry savagely. "How's the nose?"

"It's fine," Sam growled.

"Alright, enough chitchat," said Dean. "What is a demon doing in a school?"

Harry laughed. "That's what this is about? I'm not telling you. Why would I? You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, so it'd just be a waste of my time."

"Try us," said Sam.

"No thanks."

"You're going to tell us, and you're going to do it now!" shouted Dean.

"In your dreams, bud," said Harry happily. "My mouth is like Fort Knox. You won't get anything out of me."

Dean nodded, pacing around the room. Walking back to the edge of the Devil's Trap, he said, "Have you heard of us?"

"Uh, no? Was I supposed to?"

"Two brothers, in the hunter business, fighting literally every supernatural thing in America?"

"Nope. And that's America. Everything is stronger here."

Sam stepped forward and pulled out his demon knife. "We're the Winchester brothers, asshole. And you should be afraid."

For the first time, Harry was paying attention. "Where did you get that knife?"

Sam looked down and saw what he was looking at, and mistaking Harry's look for fear, smiled. "This is a demon knife I got from a friend. Rumor has it, this knife can kill any demon."

Harry nodded, lost in his own thoughts. Confused, Sam looked at Dean. Dean shrugged.

"Now, I'm not going to ask again!" yelled Dean, his face contorting in anger. "Tell us what you're doing here, or you're getting a one way ticket straight back to hell!"

"What? Are you gonna exorcise me? No, please don't, I'm shaking in my boots," Harry sneered.

Harry could see the moment Dean made up his mind. His mouth tightened, his eyes grew hard, and his hands formed into fists.

Dean started to chant in Latin, and Harry sat back. "Well, it was nice knowing you boys," he chuckled, "See you, Winchesters."

At that moment, Harry felt the pull of the exorcism, and smoke billowed out of his body, flying up, then diving through the floor.

"Well that was a change of pace," said Sam. "For once the demons don't know our names."

Dumbledore was unsettled. That demon had been so arrogant, in Harry's body, that Dumbledore had been sure the Winchesters wouldn't be able to do anything. Instead, you t had been over before Dumbledore could get a good look.

"Well, if the demons don't know us, this could be good," said Dean. "Dumbledore, get Harry to his room. We're going to need to blend in with the crowd here- could we be teachers?"

"No, Mr…. Winchester, you cannot. Not only have you not shown an aptitude for magic, I would not feel that the students are safe in your care," said Dumbledore. He said it courteously, but there was an underlying tone of aggression towards the Winchester brothers.

"How would we know if we could do magic?" asked Sam.

"Well, we would know if you had any accidents as a child, or if you could make a connection with a wand. You really only need any wand to tell if you are a wizard."

Sam looked thoughtful. "Well then, can we see your wand?"

Dumbledore hesitated, but handed it to Sam. Sam held it for a moment, then looked at Dumbledore. "Do I need to do anything?"

"Well, swish it, I guess," said Dean. Sam shrugged, and swished the wand through the air. A column of blue sparks erupted from the tip of the wand, and lit Dumbledore's beard on fire.

Dumbledore, calm as ever, held out a hand for his wand. Sam wordlessly handed it back to him, and he put the fire out. "Mr. Winchester, would you like to try?"

"Well, can't hurt anyone, can it? Other than your beard, I mean." Dean took the wand and waved it, and while the sparks that flew from the tip weren't as forceful as Sam's, they did swirl around the room in a way that Sam's did not.

"Whoah," said Dean.

Dumbledore, surprised, said, "Are you boys sure you've never gotten any magical training?"

Dean opened his mouth, but Sam held up his hand. Eyes narrowed, Sam said, "Dean, Ruby trained me when I was sucking demon blood. That might count."

"Demon blood?" Dumbledore said, pale.

Dean ignored him. "It might. I'm not sure. What did you do when you were using your little psychic powers of yours?"

"I just reached down, grabbed this little ball, about here," Sam gestured around his stomach, "and did my thing."

Dumbledore, getting over his shock, said, "That sounds like your magical core. I don't want to hear anything about your 'demon blood' but it sounds like it rose your core up higher so it was easier to reach."

"And me?" asked Dean.

"You, Mr. Winchester, well you just have a natural affinity for magic." Dean looked pleased at that.

"Well, since we can do magic, does that mean we can be teachers?" asked Sam.

"No. You know nothing about magic. You would be behind all the students as far as spells, so you would need to learn faster than them if you hope to catch up."

Dean looked exasperated. "You're telling me there's no class that isn't about casting spells?"

"Well, there's Flying, and there's also Herbology," said Dumbledore, grudgingly.

"Well, Flying sounds good to me," said Dean happily.

"I guess I can help the teacher with Herbology," said Sam. "I'll need a couple textbooks, though."

"Yes, of course. And Dean, you'll need Madam Hooch to tutor you before the first years' classes," said Dumbledore. This might turn out well, after all. Madam Hooch had been complaining about being responsible for everything broom-wise, and while Professor Sprout hadn't said anything, she was definitely falling behind in her classes.

Dean clapped his hands. "Alright then. Where do we sleep?"

Dumbledore called Professor McGonnagal, and said, "Professor, take Harry to his dormitory, then take the Agents to our guest quarters."

Sam and Dean looked at Dumbledore, and he stared right back at them. Surprised he hadn't revealed their names, but not complaining, they followed Harry's floating form out of the office.

_~The next morning~_

Harry shot up in bed, having just returned from Hell. Looking around, he saw nothing unusual, only Ron snoring and the other first years.

_Could it have just been a dream? _Thought Harry. _No. There's no way._

Getting up, Harry changed and went for a run.

When he returned, drenched in sweat, the others were yawning and getting dressed. Harry changed into his school robes and went down to breakfast.

In the Great Hall, students and teachers were already eating. Harry walked to his seat, and only then did he notice the hunters sitting at the Head Table. He could tell they were watching him intently, but he gave no hint that he had noticed them. He sat down next to Neville and Susan, and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

Hermione came down just a little after him, and sat beside him. Harry grabbed her hand under the table and pulled her close. "See those two new guys up at the Head Table?" he whispered, and she nodded. "Those are hunters. They hunt demons, like myself. They called me up to Dumbledore's office last night, and exorcised me. The only reason I'm still here is because I'm half human."

To Hermione's credit, she took the news fairly well. She nodded, and served herself some eggs, only pausing to glance at the brothers.

_~At the Head Table~_

Sam watched Harry. He seemed to not notice anything different, as he was just eating his breakfast with his group of friends. Sam frowned at him then turned to his food. "Should we really eat this? What if it's-"

Sam looked over at Dean, and stopped mid-sentence. Dean's mouth was full of eggs. Dean looked at him, and took a few seconds to swallow. Sam sighed. "Well, alright then."

Dean, mouth cleared, said "Relax. The wizard said to watch for Harry, not the chef. Besides, these eggs are delicious." Dean took another bite and said, "Almost as good as pie."

Sam raised an eyebrow. From Dean, that was the highest compliment he could offer. He looked back at Harry. "He hasn't even looked at us. Do you think he even remembers being possessed?"

Dean snorted. "I doubt it. If he did, he would've come to us and asked what was inside him. Besides, you don't just ignore something controlling you."

"Or a section missing from your life."

Dean nodded, and studied the student in question. He noticed that while he laughed and talked to the others, he never left the brunette out of the conversation, and always looked at her when he was talking. She might have noticed a difference in him when he was possessed.

Sam looked down the table. "So, Dumbledore, how do we get to the classes?"

Dumbledore looked at him over his glasses. "Just follow Professor Sprout. And Agent Young, follow Madam Hooch."

Dean nodded, and began shoveling the rest of his breakfast into his mouth when he saw the woman in question getting up to eat. Sam grimaced in disgust, and got up to follow Sprout.

_~Out on the field~_

Dean followed Hooch out to the field, wiping his mouth. "So. Flying huh?"

"Yes. Before the first-years get here, I need to show you how," said Madam Hooch. She saw this going two ways. Either this man lightened her work load, or make it exponentially harder.

Grabbing one of the school brooms, she brought it out to him and threw it onto the ground. "Hold out your hand, over the broom, and say, 'Up.'"

Dean nodded and did as she said, and the broom shot up to his hand. He grinned. "This magic thing is pretty cool."

"Yes," said Hooch dryly. "Now. Straddle the broom, and hold it firmly. When I say, kick off from the ground and rise a few feet, then come back down. Ready?"

Dean swung a leg over the broom. Feeling a little awkward, but determined, he nodded.

"Alright then. Go!"

Dean kicked the ground, and rose up _much_ higher than he meant to. Fifty feet off the ground, he yelped and fell forward, hugging the broom. This, however, caused the broom to go into a steep dive. Only feet from the ground, Dean yanked the nose of the broom up, and went shooting back up.

"Stop moving!" shouted Hooch, but Dean didn't hear.

In all the commotion, Dean accidentally fell to the right. The broom swerved, and unable to control it, Dean went into a spiraling dive. Shouting, he bailed from the broom, and crashed into the ground, rolling at least fifteen feet.

Hooch ran over, and found the broom in pieces around the groaning Dean.

"Any broken bones?" Dean shook his head, slowly pushing himself onto his elbows.

"Where does it hurt?" Dean shrugged, and pushed himself to his feet. Other than a few bruises, he seemed okay.

Dean stretched, and grinned at Hooch. "I learned how to fall when I- ehm- joined the bureau."

Hooch raised an eyebrow, but then nodded and summoned the remnants of the broom. "Good. Sounds like you're ready for another go, then?"

Dean hesitated, then nodded and walked back to the shed.

_~In Flitwick's classroom~_

Sam followed Professor Sprout into a greenhouse on the ground, and found it covered in plants. Nearly every available surface was covered in plants.

"So, Agent Angus, was it?" said Sprout congenially.

"Yes. You can call me Sam, though, Professor."

Sprout smiled, and went behind her desk to grab a plant with purple fruits hanging from its branches. "This is a Bubotuber. Here put these on."

Sam caught the suit and gloves tossed at him, and put them on. Looking through the plastic, he could see Sprout in a similar getup.

"Now, pick the fruits. Be careful, the plant doesn't like it if you're too rough with it. Be gentle."

Sam wasn't sure what she meant, but he wasn't about to find out. Reaching out, he gently grabbed the branch, and gingerly wrapped his hand around the fruit.

Now, unnoticed by Professor Sprout or Sam, the Venomous Tentacula had been slowly reaching toward the newcomer. Most people didn't know that the Tentacula had at least the same level intelligence as a dog, and it was curious as to who it's caretaker had brought in.

Sam, pleased with his success at picking the first tuber, had reached for another with a little more confidence. Reaching for another one, still gentle but working a little faster, he grabbed another.

Sam was about to pick it, when he felt something around his ankle. He jumped back, his heart in his throat, looking down to see a tentacle wrapped around his leg.

He also forgot to let go of the fruit.

Ripping the fruit off the branch, Sam stumbles away from the tentacle. The Bubotuber tumbled from the table, and the remaining fruits exploded with a purple juice. Sam and Sprout had their suits on, but the liquid splashed onto the Tentacula's tentacle.

The Tentacula let out a high pitched shriek and flailed around, the tentacles flying around the room. One hit Sam and sent him flying, and the other grabbed Sprout and pulled her towards the writhing mass of green.

"Sam!" shouted Sprout, pulling out her wand. She waved it, and the tentacle was cut in half, but another appeared and yanked her wand out of her hand. Still being pulled in, she grabbed the leg of the table, and yelled at Sam.

"Sorry!" said Sam, pulling out his knife and slicing the tentacle. It fell to the ground, writhing, and Sam dodged another one. Sam, seeing Sprout's wand in a tentacle, jumped at it. The Tentacula wasn't having any of that, however, and grabbed him from the air. Sam felt the air whoosh out of him, as he was yanked into the mass.

Sam struggled, but the tentacle was too strong. He hacked at it, but it was thicker than the others. Looking around, he saw something that looked disturbingly like a mouth and yelled. Frantically feeling for anything that might help, Sam grabbed another tentacle. This one pulled him out of the one holding him, and he was pulled back out to the greenhouse.

Sam, hanging from the tentacle, grabbed Sprout's wand swung out, rolling to behind her desk.

"Here," he said, panting. "Now do your thing."

Sprout nodded, and standing up, she started to chant. Sam peeked over the desk, and saw a faint blue light pushing the tentacles back to the pot. After a few moments, all was still.

Sam looked at Sprout. "I'm really sorry, Professor. If there's anything I can do-"

"It's fine, Sam. Besides, we now have two fresh Venomous Tentacula tentacles!" she exclaimed, picking them up gently and placing them in a box at the back of her classroom. "I always wanted these, but they're outrageously expensive and I didn't want to set my Tentacula off."

"Oh. Well then," said Sam, bemused. He picked up the Bubotuber, unhurt in the commotion, and set it back on the table. He looked at Sprout. "So, do you still want me to help?"

"Of course, Sam," she smiled. "We'll be studying the Shrivelfig today. Let me get out the textbook, and you can look it over before the students get here. Alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Sam. He thought he heard some yelling out by the field, but looking out, he saw nothing. Shrugging, he took the massive book offered to him and sat down to read.

**Hey guys! Sorry Chapter 15 took so long. I figured I'd make this one **_**extra **_**long to make up for it!**

**I'm seeing some confusion as to if Crowley has met the Winchesters yet or not. I'm leaving that up to discussion, so review and tell me what you think!**

**Spencer366: I think that would make Harry too op. If I did that, Harry would basically be unstoppable. While it's fun to do sparingly, writing an entire fanfic around it would get boring fast.**

**Qorianth Grindelwald: Sam's still alive! Harry could've killed him, I'm sure, but he didn't want to raise too much suspicion. He thought he could just leave, but he didn't tak eDean into account (he he).**

**Skyler Hollow: You are **_**very **_**welcome.**

**Stormshadow13: I'm really glad I could finally bring them into the story.**

**shadowhunterz: Not as bad as you thought, huh?**

**Shay Shadowhunter: Thanks, neither can I!**

**Fangtasia21: Sorry? I think you meant Draco. No, he's not stupid. He saw a wraith. I'd be freaked out too!**

**anonymousvoice: See above lol.**

**RorschachinBlueJeans: Getting protective of him, are we? Also, I like your name. Sounds pretty.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Dean watched as all the first years filed over to the row of brooms. After a bit more trying, he had gotten the hang of it, and he found that flying was actually really nice when you weren't spiraling out of control.

"Alright, first years! I am Madam Hooch, and this is my assistant, Professor Young," Dean raised an eyebrow, but kept silent. The first years whispered among themselves, peeking at the intimidating man that had shown up, supposedly last night.

"Okay, guys, step up beside a broom," said Dean. He looked at Madam Hooch, and she nodded. When they were all ready, he said, "Alright. Now, hold your hand over your broom, and say, 'Up.'"

A few of them were okay at this. It was obvious they'd done this before, after all, they had been there for a month. When they were ready, Madam Hooch stepped forward and took over. Dean didn't think this would be that hard. He had to just keep an eye out for that girl that was so close to Harry.

_~In the Herbology greenhouse~_

Sam walked around the classroom, watching the students. They were working with the Shrivelfig today. It was sort of like a root that shriveled up when you took it out of the ground. Apparently, it was used in a lot of potions. But that wasn't what Sam was interested in.

Sam was in the same class as Harry and Hermione. A few other friends were there, but he was only concerned with Hermione.

When the class was over, Sam went to Professor Sprout and asked if he could go for a bit.

"Sure, but be back soon. The other first-years will be here soon," she said.

Sam jogged out and found Harry and Hermione talking and laughing with- Neville, was it?- and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hello, Miss Granger?" he said, flipping to his Agent persona. "I need to ask you a few questions."

She looked at her friends, and Harry shrugged. She turned back to him and smiled. "Yeah, sure."

Sam led her to the side of the greenhouse. "My name is Agent Angus. Me and my partner are here because we heard something was wrong with Harry Potter."

Hermioone's eyes widened. "What? What's wrong?"

"Well, we haven't found anything definite," said Sam hastily. "I was wondering if you've noticed anything… different, about him."

"Well… no, other than he changed a little bit ago."

Sam narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'changed?'"

Hermione looked hesitant. "Well, he wasn't acting like himself. I-I mean, I didn't know him very well, but he seemed colder. He was better this morning, though," she looked at him. "What do you think? Is something wrong with him?"

"Erm- no, nothing's wrong. Harry will be fine," Sam said, smiling. Hermione didn't look comforted, but he was sure she would be fine. "One more thing… have you smelled sulfur anywhere? Just like, rotten eggs?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, it was there this morning. It faded, though."

"Okay. thank you, Hermione."

She smiled. "No problem."

Sam watched as she walked off to the castle. _Could someone else be a demon? There's no reason for a random demon to be here._

Sam shrugged and walked back to the greenhouse. He couldn't do anymore now. Besides, he could see some students coming.

_~Lunch in the Great Hall~_

Harry was sitting at the table with Susan, Ron and Cho. Neville was in the Hospital Wing, getting his bandages changed.

"Hey, Harry, you alright? You've been spacing out all day today," said Cho, concerned.

Harry chuckled. "I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night."

Cho opened her mouth, but Ron interrupted. "Leave him alone, Cho. We all have those days."

Harry smiled at him gratefully, and Cho scowled at her plate. Just then, Hermione came in.

"Hey! What did Agent Angus want with you?" said Harry, moving over.

"Just some questions about the school. He said he needed help finding all of his classes," said Hermione, sitting down.

Harry nodded. He knew that wasn't what the Agent had wanted, but the others didn't know about him yet, so he would ask Hermione later.

_~At the Head Table~_

"And she said that she smelled sulfur this morning," finished Sam, looking at Dean.

Dean nodded, and took a moment to finish his bite of pie. "So, do you think Harry was the only demon in the school?"

"There's no way. Why would one random demon possess one student?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, but we can't find any others."

Sam looked down the table. "Maybe we could ask the Defense teacher? He might know something."

"No, I don't think we should involve anyone else."

Sam hesitated. "Dean… what about the British Men of Letters? I mean, this is-"

"No," said Dean, looking Sam in the eye. "We're not involving them. If we bring them in, the first thing they would do is kick us out of here and bring in Ketch. And he wouldn't hesitate, Sam. He would kill everyone he thought was a demon."

Sam looked down at his plate. "Alright. No Men of Letters."

Dean nodded and went back to his pie.

_~In the Ravenclaw Dormitory~_

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_We've got a problem. Yesterday, two hunters, Sam and Dean Winchester, came into the school and brought me up to the Headmaster's office. Apparently they had heard about the battle, but I don't know what they were doing in England. They were about to torture me, but the Headmaster didn't have the stomach for it and told them to exorcise me instead._

_They don't know that I'm a cambion. They thought I'm just a kid who was possessed by a demon, but now they think something is going on in the school. They asked Hermione questions, but I had filled her in before, so she didn't give anything away. But this isn't going to end anytime soon. One is teaching in Herbology, and another in Flying._

_I'm not sure what to do here. Do I kill them? That might attract more attention, but they might be bringing in other hunters soon, so I could kill them and any others that come in. They're sloppy fighters anyway._

_On a lighter note, my first Quidditch match is coming up! Roger says I'm doing great, and we're working on how I can disrupt the other team's formation. I guess we'll see._

_Your Loving Son,_

_Harry_

_~Out on the Quidditch pitch~_

"Alright, guys, this is our last practice before our match with Hufflepuff," said Roger. "We're going to go over most of our formations today, and Harry, I'm going to be working with you personally so that we can get you ready."

Harry nodded. Roger turned to the others and said, "Randolph, take them out."

Randolph nodded and walked over to the other members of the team. Roger turned back to Harry. "Ok, Harry, I used to be a Seeker. I found out later that I'm a better Chaser, but not before learning a few things about being a Seeker. When Drew left us and I became our Captain, I trained the new Seeker. Now, I'll train you."

Harry nodded, and smiled. Roger acted serious, but he wouldn't be as hard on his team as Oliver Wood was on the Gryffindor team. He gestured to the brooms, waiting on the ground. "Shall we?"

Roger grinned. "We shall."

When they were mounted, Roger flew up to the stands. "Now, I asked Professor Flitwick, and while it took some convincing, he agreed to let me have a few Snitches."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "A few Snitches? I thought we only had one."

Roger laughed. "With all the damage you Seekers do to them? We would have to wait a couple weeks after each match just for it to be ready. No, as long as we don't break all of them this one practice, we'll be fine.

"Now, look around. See anything?"

Harry looked around the pitch. It took him a second, but soon he saw a golden speck. After that, it was easy. As far as he could tell, there were about five Snitches out there.

"You found 'em," said Roger. "There are five out there on the field. I'm going to time you. We don't leave this field until you're under two minutes. I made them glow gold a bit so they're easier to see, but that's the only help you get, okay? I'll be here. When you catch them all, come over here and I'll tell you what you did correctly, and incorrectly."

Harry grimaced. "Two minutes? Alright, I hope you're ready for a wait."

Roger laughed. "Have more confidence in yourself. You're starting in…"

Harry tightened his grip on the broom. He would go for the one by the goalposts first.

"One…"

"Two…"

"THREE!"

Harry sped off as Roger muttered something. A timer, not unlike a billboard, appeared over the stands.

Harry sped towards the Snitch. It was flying in a little circle around the goalpost on the right. Harry flew at it, and it flew to the left. Harry flew around the goalpost and followed, weaving in between the poles. The Snitch flew beside Jeremy, the Chaser, and Harry shot after it.

Jeremy had the Quaffle. Usually, Roger would be the one making the shots, but he was training the newbie, Harry Potter. So, it fell to Jeremy to make the shots, and Randolph supported him. Jeremy could see the goal. He wound back to throw the Quaffle…

When the newbie flew past him, knocking his throw off course. Randolph tried to save it, but Duncan caught it and flew the opposite direction. With nobody to block his shot, it was easy.

Harry flew past Jeremy. He heard his cry of surprise, but it faded into the background as his hand closed around the Snitch. It glowed green, and Harry let go, smoothly changing course to go after the Snitch in the stands.

Michael Corner had shown up to see if the rumors that Harry Potter had the skill of a seventh-year in Quidditch were true. Michael wouldn't say it was a seventh-year level, but he was good, that was for sure. All of this fell back in his mind when he saw the student in question speeding towards him.

Harry watched Michael, his roommate, dive out of the way. This gave Harry the chance he needed to grab the Snitch.

"Sorry!" yelled Harry as he sped away. Michael huffed.

Harry looked up at the timer. Fifty seconds. Not bad, for two Snitches, but he'd have to go faster. He looked around, wasting precious seconds, then went for the Snitch in the teacher's box.

Dodging Randolph, Harry flew at the teacher's box. The Snitch was among the seats, so Harry slowed down and hovered over the chairs. He saw it under Snape's usual chair, and hopped off his broom. Reaching down, he tried to grab it, but it flew out the other way. Harry dove and grabbed it, but he bruised his stomach. Shrugging it off, he went to the banister.

Harry couldn't see the other two Snitches, but he knew that before, one was down by the grass, and the other was under the stands. Either way, they were below him, so he grabbed his broom and leaped off the box.

The crowd gasped as Harry fell to the ground, but he put the broom under him and yanked the nose of the broom up, gaining a lot of speed from the free fall. Harry saw a Snitch under the stands, and flew after it. He could feel his Nimbus trembling under him- it wasn't made for this kind of speed- but he couldn't stop if he wanted to make the two minute deadline.

The rafters under the stands took a lot of twirling, but he managed to avoid them by flipping under, to the side, and sometimes flying up just a bit. The Snitch was the most difficult so far, but he caught at the same time as he flew out from under the stands.

Looking up, he found he had ten seconds left. He swore, but he could see the last Snitch in the middle of the field. He took off. If he could have used his free-fall move, he could have gotten it easily, but he had started below it. He gained speed fast, but the Snitch was moving away from him…

Harry reached for the Snitch. He was feet away…

1:57…

1:58…

1:59…

Harry's fingers closed around the Snitch. The aura around it flipped to green, and Harry grinned. He flew to Roger. "Not bad, eh?"

Roger nodded. "Not bad. We'll have to do it a few more times, though. You got the Snitches, but I don't want you to disrupt our team like that when you're after it."

Harry nodded. He couldn't have expected to do it perfectly the first time. Roger gathered the Snitches back together and turned their auras back to gold, and they took off.

**Hey guys! That was fun. The beginning of this chapter was a bit forced, but I got past it. So, you guys asked whether Crowley knows Sam and Dean or not, and you'll find out next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading! Review, review, review! Gridline **_**out.**_


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